2032 MBWBA Media Guide - Ron Collins · Las Vegas 4, San Antonio 0 Jacksonville 4, Montreal 0...

2032 Brewster Baseball Association MEDIA GUIDE

EST. 1973: WE VOTE NONE OF THE ABOVE

LEADERSHIP

Commissioner: Matt Rectenwald Vice Commissioner: Aaron Weiner

League Director: Ted Schmidt PR Director/Historian: Stephen Lane

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Every year the fans think “well, it can’t get any better than this.” Every year they’re wrong.

2032 represents the Brewster’s 60th season. Maybe we’ve passed the audition, eh? If nothing

else, 60 seasons means the Brewster ain’t no Texas Leaguer, no bloop-single of a check swing.

No one-season wonder that can’t adjust up to big league curveballs. Things like this league

don’t happen by chance, you now? Things like this are the result of massive quantities of

coffee, more than a few beers, massive quantities of super dogs, and maybe a couple hundred

passionate zanies spread over a couple decades of real time, not necessarily in that order.

Regardless of what you think about all that, 60 seasons of fake baseball nerdery is a helluva

run. Here’s a tip of the cap the guys who made it happen, and a hope for 60 more.

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CONTENTS

2031: Final Standings

2032: The Projection Room

JL Atlantic (Aaron Weiner) JL Southern (Aaron Weiner)

FL Heartland (Aaron Weiner) FL Pacific (Aaron Weiner)

Features

Re-visiting Flight 93 Park (Edward Murphy) This Year in Baseball: Is Expansion Making Our Greatest Stars? (Chris Wilson)

The Newbie’s Take on Assuming the BBA GM’s Seat (Rhys Allen) Year of the Speedster (Ron Collins)

Monty Brewster’s All-Decade Teams (Montgomery Brewster)

Hall of Fame Voting (Matt Rectenwald)

This Year’s History Lesson (Ron Collins) Top Hitting Prospects (OOTP)

Top Pitching Prospects (OOTP) Farm System Rankings (OOTP)

And, Finally, More People Who Have Not Advertised With Us


JOHNSON LEAGUE FRICK LEAGUE

Geoghegan Round

San Antonio 3, Huntsville 1

Montreal 3, Charm City 1

Louisville 3, Madison 1

Calgary 3, Vancouver 2`

Doubleday Series

Las Vegas 4, San Antonio 0 Jacksonville 4, Montreal 0

Yellow Springs 4, Louisville 0 Long Beach 4, Calgary 2

Cartwright Cup

Jacksonville 4, Las Vegas 3 Yellow Springs 4, Long Beach 1

Landis Memorial Series

Jacksonville 4, Yellow Springs 2


The Projection Room

Let’s call a fundamental law of physics a fundamental law of physics. No other fake baseball league on the face of the earth has a guy like Aaron Weiner around. I mean, the guy knows his stuff, am I right? Ted Schmidt is fantastic, and in a pinch I can hum a few bars and get a good noise going. But Aaron is legendary like a 12-to-6 curveball snapped off with that kind of precision that comes from guys named Koufax is legendary, or like a heater up and in from Gibby. Or, dare I say it, like a wristy swing from that guy named…hmmm…what was that guy’s name again? Oh, yeah, right. Kinda like a blast by that guy named Aaron, eh? Yeah, that’s a long-winded way of saying we got the swami of the Brewster back. So rather than waste your time listening to me, let’s all dig in and see what he’s got to say about how the 60th season in BBA history is gonna unfold.

The Greenville Moonshiners moved to Jacksonville five seasons ago, so Hurricanes fans haven’t existed long enough to experience the heartbreak of nearly four decades of waiting for a championship. After a ton of maneuvering, trading for top starters, and developing young stars, the Hurricanes fans got their title in the 2032 season. Moonshiners fans won’t take much solace from that, but reports have it that some of them sent letters to the team, wishing them well and congratulating the city of Jacksonville. The Hurricanes won the title with young players like David Noboru and Norris Rutledge and veterans like former Steve Nebraska winners Jesus Tonche and Billy Chapel, Jr., a thorough mix of players. They lost a little this offseason, but not enough to sweat about and they should be back in the mix again. There are plenty contenders for Jacksonville’s crown. The Hustlers, Surfers, and Sluggers are always dangerous and should be prime suspects in the mystery of who’s standing at the end of the year. Yellow Springs clearly lost some ground, but they were a dubious 100-win team to begin and should be fine. California set team records in offense last year and should return to the playoffs this year. The rest of the picture is murkier. San Antonio might have a real shot at the title with one of the biggest offseason additions in superstar DH Frank Thomas III and a superb starting rotation. Madison has a killer offense and enough pitching to make it interesting. Huntsville isn’t built to win in the playoffs, though they’re still a solid team. Don’t count out Calgary, who has some real talent in both the lineup and the rotation and has often surprised in the playoffs, either. There are a few dark horses. Phoenix, who made real strides forward this offseason, has the best chance to come out of nowhere and surprise. Des Moines still has two of the best players in the BBA and could get hot at the right time. And, few teams are more improved than the Omaha Barnstormers, but they seem like they’re a year away. The rest of the teams seem like they’re on the outside looking in, but in a league where nearly half the teams make the playoffs, it’s still anyone’s ballgame.


Don’t count out a Hurricanes repeat. They still have one of the top rotations in the game, a solid, deep bullpen, and Norris Rutledge, a clearly special player against righties, quietly had one of the top 20 seasons in OPS in BBA history. But if you’re playing the odds, go with the field, because we’ve had twelve different champions in the last thirteen Landis Memorial Series. The Jacksonville win leaves just Valencia, Seattle, Yellow Springs, Indy, Omaha, and Havana out of the twenty-four original teams that haven’t won a championship; three of the six are still in the city where they started, and at least two of those teams could be contending for a title either this year or next. League parity has never been better for titles, and with twelve playoff spots, the trend should continue.


JL Atlantic The Jacksonville Hurricanes won their second division title in three years in 2031, putting together an excellent season and earning nearly every bit of their 94 wins. The Moonshiners lost quite a bit of talent in the offseason, but they still have a real chance to win this in a runaway. Realistically, only the Hurricanes and the Montreal Blazers have a real chance to win the division. Halifax and Carolina are on heavy rebuilds, Brooklyn is on the outs, and it seems that Charm City and Atlantic City don’t quite have the horses this year. Jacksonville did lose a little ground this offseason, but they had a little bit to give. The Blazers especially are suffering the loss of Jorge Stanza for the second straight season, but they made enough contingency plans and had enough talent to win 87 games last year and could take the division if Jacksonville stumbles enough. Dark horses include Charm City, who made their first playoff appearance last season, and Atlantic City, who have given it their best shot in free agency. Brooklyn simply isn’t good enough to take the division from solid teams like Montreal and Jacksonville. The Kraken and the Hawks simply aren’t competitive but could be soon. Jacksonville should win their third division crown in four years, but as we know, anything can happen in the BBA, and there’s enough traffic in this division that we could see a close race.

PROJECTED STANDINGS 2031

W L PCT GB W L RS RA

Jacksonville 91 71 .562 94 68 879 711

Montreal 88 74 .543 3 87 75 933 866

Charm City 83 79 .512 8 83 80 815 836

Atlantic City 81 81 .500 10 71 91 782 881

Brooklyn 72 90 .444 19 72 90 706 789

Halifax 62 100 .383 29 66 96 846 941

Carolina 59 103 .364 32 68 94 711 859


Jacksonville Hurricanes General Manager: Tyler Simmons

Projection:

Last Season: 94-78, Won JLA Post Season: Won Landis Cup Runs Scored: 879 Runs Allowed: 771

New Faces SP Mario Mendez

Players Gone LF Emilio Rodriguez

SP Len Caldwell 2B Orlando Medrano

“Yes, Diaz is done. You should trade him to me for Chapel and prospects. We guarantee that Chapel will have at least one functional

arm when he comes off the DL. Which arm you ask? Well, now we're just talking semantics. Don't you just need one arm to pitch?”

In response to Ted, 2031 Sim #8 Chatter

It’s always a combination of smarts, guile, good timing, and

good luck that makes a champion, and I’m sure that Tyler

Simmons could point out every single thing that went wrong

along the way, but, well, that’s my job and I’ll be damned if I

let someone else do it. What’s fascinating for a championship

team that’s built around pitching is that the pitching staff

wasn’t nearly so productive as the offense last year.

Jacksonville’s offense was solidly in the top quarter of

offenses in the BBA last year, but their pitching staff was just

average. It seems like they caught lightning in a bottle: can

lightning strike twice?

Diving deeper into the pitching staff, it sure seems like you’ve

stumbled upon one of the best pitching staffs in the game.

Jesus Tonche has been as solid a starter as you’d want, and while it’s difficult to figure out why Tully

Crow isn’t more dominant, 50 more innings might help. Despite age and a precipitous velocity drop,

Billy Chapel, Jr. still has plenty left in the tank despite a mediocre regular season. Offseason signing

Mario Mendez was probably one of the shrewdest signings of this offseason, and despite his age (he

turns 36 during the season) he was willing to take two team options. You could do a lot worse than Luis

Manuel Torres as a fifth starter. Netuno Markert probably gets a lot of run this year. The bullpen is

plenty good enough. You’d expect this pitching staff to produce better this year.

At this point I wouldn’t expect much of an offensive falloff. The best Jacksonville young players could

both improve: David Noboru might not have tapped his full potential yet, and Lloyd Braun was better in

2030; his numbers last year are probably his floor. Norris Rutledge is special against righties, and while

the 26th highest single-season OPS of all time might be higher than he’s going to be, it’s within his

reach. Bertram Hahn is probably one of the most overlooked players in the league today. James

Braddock and Jake Blues probably do more for the team this year. Sergio Ramos hit 41 homers last

year. The loss of Orlando Medrano and Sunshine aren’t huge because the veterans weren’t huge for the

Hurricanes last year.


Overall, this is a fairly young team, and there’s no reason to believe that they’re not right back in

contention again. This is perhaps a more complete team than the Blazers, and perhaps not; they

certainly don’t have the star power that Montreal has. It would be unsurprising to see Montreal take the

division title back from the Hurricanes this year, but it would be shocking if they didn’t win at least a

wild card.

Montreal Blazers General Manager: John Callahan

Projection:

Last Season: 87-75, 2nd in JLA Post Season: Lost in Doubleday Runs Scored: 933 Runs Allowed: 866

New Faces P Domingo Hernandez

Players Gone SP Jorge Stanza (injury)

SP Jorge Jimenez P Josh Rosser

“I love Ted's rants about WAR. Mostly because I agree with them”

In response to: Welcome to my annual diatribe on positional WAR adjustments

Montreal was expected to drop from 104 wins last year the minute Jorge Stanza blew out his arm in

Spring Training. Stanza would miss the entire season due to injury, and, unfortunately, he’ll miss at

least half of this season with a partially torn labrum also, which casts a shadow on the team’s ability to

compete for a division crown.

Stanza is still the Montreal ace until further notice, and

losing him sends a ripple effect down the rotation. Leon

Flores can take over as the #1 starter, though he’s not as

good as Stanza. The Blazers did do some work to try and

sure up the rotation this offseason, but the duo of veteran

Domingo Hernandez and vitriolic righty Van Willard are

just adequate, not stars. Alex Lopez should be a solid

fourth starter. The team’s bullpen is highly talented but

might not be the steadiest group we’ve seen.

We’ve talked about Montreal’s pitching in the lead, but

usually any conversation about Montreal starts and ends

with Jared Gillstrom. Gillstrom’s combined 24.2 WAR

over the past two seasons is the second most ever, after

only the great Cricket Puckett’s superb 2005-2006 seasons,

and Puckett usually enters the conversation when talking

about Gillstrom’s potential place in history. Cisco

Guerrero would be the biggest name on just about any other

team, and posted the 20th highest OPS in the history of the league last season. The two players finished

first and second in batting average last year and were two of the three most valuable players in the

Johnson League. Ettienne LaFitte is an excellent third wheel, and players like Ken Jenkins, Juan

Fernandez, Antonio Santana, and Gary Schneider help to set the table for the big bats.

Can T-Bone’s Return Put the Blazer’s Back on

Top of the JLA?


Montreal will go as far as their offensive stars will carry them. The offense was just behind Las Vegas

for first place in the Johnson League, but without Stanza the pitching staff gave up well over five runs a

game, more than teams like Carolina and Brooklyn. They have enough talent to survive without Stanza,

as they did last year, but it’s going to be a tricky path for the Blazers, especially since they’re pressed

hard against the cap as it is. They do have a top five farm and players like Jubal Troop, but Troop at this

point would likely be rushed. The Blazers will have to outhit teams to get to the playoffs, but they’re

equal to the task.

Charm City Jimmies General Manager: Branden Slouck

Projection:

Last Season: 83-80, 3rd in JLA Result:, Lost Geoghegan Runs Scored: 815 Runs Allowed: 836

New Faces SS Pablo Soto SP Yan Heijnen

SP Bonaventure Habermas

Players Gone SP Mario Mendez

SP Martin Pacheco RP Jose De La Cruz

“We jumped at the chance to sign him, knowing we couldn't let anyone else see him. But according to him, about 12 teams had already

seen him, including the "great" Genius Hopkins, and all passed on him. Luck certainly is better than skill sometimes.”

Regarding the signing of Wilton Rivera, 2031.02 - Potential Gem Found in the DR

Sometimes your humble prognosticator hits one on the head. Last year, I predicted that the Charm City

Jimmies, a team that didn’t exist four seasons ago, would be the first expansion team to make the

playoffs and, yea, verily, it came to pass. A casual observer would be concerned about the moves that

were made this offseason, especially the loss of solid starting pitcher Mario Mendez, but I don’t think

Charm City falls back too far this year, if at all.

First, trading for Pablo Soto could be a solid move for the Jimmies, even if it cost

them the prospect mentioned in the quote, Wilton Rivera. The team no doubt

regarded Rivera as found money after signing him out of the Dominican after last

season, and they used it to sure up the shortstop position for a decade. Soto, one of

the more solid shortstops in the game, will be a nice addition for the Jimmies, who

could also afford his salary. He also fits into the team strategy of high contact

hitters that pair with superstar Alfredo Salazar. Several players on the offense

could improve, including catcher Don Logan and young first baseman Byron

Hearle. Brian Whitten probably won’t improve, as the veteran DH has not aged

particularly well, but he’s still the likely starter this year; waiting in the wings is top

prospect Bartolo Ortiz, who is a monster prospect.

Another thing I wrote last year was that Egbert Behner was the best pitcher you’ve

never heard of, and that is no longer a problem after the 26 year old righty made the

All-Star team and finished third in JL Steve Nebraska voting. Now the

unquestioned ace of the staff, Behner will lead a rotation that has more questions

than answers. Chester Kipling bounced back from a poor start last year to post a

passable season, but he’s not finding a ton of success in Charm City. Arturo Cruz

Jimmie Faithful Hope Soto

Will Shore Up the Middle

Infield


should still be shipped to Vancouver, stat. Offseason acquisition Bonaventure Habermas is a sneaky

under-the-radar signing, but his endurance will keep him to #4 starter status. Norberto Leon is probably

a year too early to help, though Yan Heijnen has a good track record. The Jimmies’ bullpen is fairly

solid throughout, with solid closer Wilmot Schlondorff often completing an all-German game with

Behner.

Charm City isn’t going to come out of nowhere and surprise anyone after making the playoffs last year,

but they should have been considered a threat all along. To this point the most successful of the

expansion teams, the Jimmies have been consistently solid since coming into the league three seasons

ago. It would be silly to not expect yet another year like that, and while they’re projected to lose money

again this season, they’re clearly competitive. I wouldn’t expect them to be eliminated from the wild

card race until much later this season, and they could win it again.

Atlantic City Gamblers General Manager: Joshua Biddle

Projection:

Last Season: 71-91 – 5th in JLA Post Season: None Runs Scored: 782 Runs Allowed: 881

New Faces SP Eduardo Lopez SP Antonio Correa

Players Gone SS Ernesto Chavez RP Jesus Feliciano

“…given our organization’s need to get younger and replenish the minor league system, a pick in the supplemental 1st round outweighed

the benefit of having him on the roster…”

Regarding Carolina’s signing of Valeri Kharlamov: Boardwalk Empire-#4-FA Round 2 / Rule 5

No team has attempted to make a bigger splash in free agency than the Gamblers, who lived up to their

name by going all-in on a pair of lefty pitchers: superstar Eduardo Lopez and hugely productive

Antonio Correa. The moves might have been partially good sense and partially overreaction to a 91-loss

season in 2031, Atlantic City’s worst result in a decade and a half that followed three straight playoff

appearances. At the same time, the team dropped a few consistent performers in pursuit of stardom.

Did they do enough to put themselves back in contention?

The rotation will likely be better. Surefire

Hall of Famer Lopez had yet another huge

season at the age of 34 for Yellow Springs last

season, and is by himself a rotation maker.

Pairing him with young Dan Cannon, maybe

the most complete young pitcher in the game

today, gives them a strong 1-2 punch in the

rotation. Correa has been a spectacular player

for the Mounties, so we have to give him

some benefit of the doubt. If players like

Gonzalo Fajardo, Gustavo Medina, or Tony

Nelson can solidify the back end of the

rotation, they could find regular-season

The Gamblers three aces are going to have to sell a lot of

popcorn and beer


success. Their bullpen is unfortunately a hot mess, made even more so by the departure of Jesus

Feliciano through free agency, so the rotation will have to find success.

The lineup carries with it few surprises from last season. Obviously, Rafael Bido and Antonio Sanchez

are the headliners, and should be good for around 70 homers and a good on-base percentage in the

middle of the order. Outfielder Chang-hyeok Chang was a dynamic rookie last year, but apparently

should not be allowed to steal bases any time soon. Catcher Joaquin Camacho appears to be a steady

presence both behind the plate and in the batter’s box, and while time appears to be marching on for

players like Boone Carlyle and Juan Trevino, the rest of the lineup is still serviceable without any trace

of stars.

We’re starting to say goodbye to the Atlantic City teams that were successful for two decades. Manuel

Garcia is long gone. Sanchez might not be a Gambler next season based on salary demands, ending an

era in the Garden State. Boone Carlyle is in his walk year also. Bido is still around, but he’s about the

last of the old guard from the team’s glory years. Because of the horrid bullpen, the highly suspect back

half of the rotation, holes in the lineup, and a poor balance sheet because of escalator clauses in both

Lopez and Correa’s contracts, this team is going to have a tough time doing anything at all for the next

few seasons. With just one top 100 prospect and a lot of very big holes on the team, it’s hardly a sure

thing that they’ll be able to contend even past this year. As for this year, their pitching signings and a

decent core will help this team contend in 2032 for a wild card.

Brooklyn Robins General Manager: Alan Ehlers

Projection:

Last Season: 72-90 - 4th in JLA Post Season: None Runs Scored: 706 Runs Allowed:789

New Faces SP Phillip Morris

SP Gerardo Castillo

Players Gone SP Domingo Castillo

3B Diego Moreno

“Ward: Skip, I heard we are going to start all lefties.

Farve: That's correct Wardy.

Ward: I don't think that's a good idea sir. Leon Ramirez's arm will fall off starting all 4 games.”

Robins Roundup 2030/6

Brooklyn used to be among the upper echelon of franchises in the BBA. With two championships and a

record 18 straight winning seasons from 1996-2013 as the Baltimore Monarchs, the organization was

first rate all the way. However, after four straight losing seasons, the franchise is losing money, their

farm isn’t at all impressive, and one has to wonder: is this the new normal for the Brooklyn Robins, at

least for a while?

Offensively, the team lacks two-way players in spades. Luis Soto is the team’s best chance at one, but

he stumbled badly in his first short stint in Brooklyn. Holden Blackwell is still getting paid for breaking

the single-season hits record in 2029. Henry Rectenberg will help offensively, but his defense is poor,

and he’s an absolute Yogi Zimmer compared to Enrique Salazar, whose homers should put him solidly


at DH. There isn’t an obvious star here of any sort, and there isn’t a potential position player star in the

organization at this point.

The offense looks like a juggernaut next to the rotation. De facto ace Jose Morales had poor luck with

defense last year and could improve with a number of solid infield defenders, and on better teams he’d

be a #2/3 starter. Offseason signing Gerardo Castillo seems overpaid at $6.5 million and has a terrible

escalator clause in his contract that gives him an extra $1 million every time he throws 200 innings.

Phillip Morris might still have a little left in the tank, but just a little. Leon Ramirez is one of the

league’s more intriguing pitchers, but he’ll probably never be a star. The bullpen is fine, with veterans

like Flint Colbert, Miguel Dezgado, Fernando Lopez, and Joost Breakwell joining a number of mediocre

middle relievers, but it’s not a good enough squad to save them.

Simply put, Brooklyn just doesn’t have enough firepower to climb back from the hole they’re in. There

aren’t enough wild cards in the rotation or offensively to make up for the lack of continuity. Their

finances aren’t good enough that they should make moves to improve. Brooklyn’s best hope is that

Francisco Flores and Francisco Chacon opt out, which would put them at a very reasonable $58 million

payroll. (Nearly zero chance on Blackwell opting out next year.) If they don’t, the team is on the hook

for a lot more money over the next few years and they still have to figure out a way to pay Morales.

There’s isn’t much to pay attention to here, as Brooklyn should miss the playoffs for the fifth

consecutive year.

The Robin’s Rotation-by-Committee reports to Spring Training:

Who’s going to pitch for Brooklyn? I am! I am! I am! I am! I am! I am! I am! I am! I am!


Halifax Hawks General Manager: Jason Russell

Projection:

Last Season: 66-96, 7th in JLA Post Season: None Runs Scored: 846 Runs Allowed: 941

New Faces Juliano Fallardo

Players Gone 2B Manuel Garcia

“Halifax has to decide between trying to score a few runs or trying to stop a few runs. I don't really have any combinations that will do

both”

Response to: BBA Defenses: The FIP-ERA Perspective

Halifax: Riding Out the Storm in 2032?

Sometimes there’s no mystery to a team strategy. The Halifax Hawks, coming off a horrid 66-96

season, with a 60 million dollar payroll, and 20 million dollar pitchers on the open market, lost several

bullpen members and signed...several bullpen members. The Hawks, who were actually seven games

better last year by Pythagorean record than their dismal result, aren’t making a lot of waves, meaning we

can probably project their path fairly easily for 2032.

There’s a lot of wisdom in the Hawks’ rebuilding strategy. For example, former All-Star Stelio Kontos

has mysteriously begun to lose bat speed in the middle of what should be his prime, and as a free agent

next year they’ll probably let him walk. The team can’t wait to get out from under the Jorge Martinez

contract. The team does have some young pieces in place like Domenic Wyatt, Elijah Curry and Bucky

Dornster, and Luis Miguel Carrillo is solidly in his prime, so they do have some talent to build around.


The awesome hitter’s park is also not helping the pitchers, though Lee McHone is almost as good as I

thought he could be when he was drafted. It takes quite a pitcher to lead the league in walks and still

post a 3.2 WAR, and he’s still just 24 years old. Guillermo Martinez will miss most of the 2032 season

with bone chips in his elbow, but if he makes a full recovery he could be a superstar, and he struck out

52 batters in his first 48 innings at age 21. The rest of the staff is aging and questionable. Martin Lewis

is a shell of himself, and even long-time #1 starter Sancho Delgado is starting to show signs of wear. I

still love Lee McHone, but he needs to develop more control. The bullpen members they signed are

universally mediocre, and Armando Figueroa was set up to be a leader of the pen before a spring

training injury.

Halifax isn’t nearly as bad as their horrid record last year if everyone is healthy, but it’s going to be a

tough year for them with possibly their top starter and top reliever out for at least four months. They

were in many ways right to keep out of free agency, as next offseason they’ll have a tough decision to

make on Domenic Wyatt but could get their payroll as low as $35 million or so. They need to develop

some prospects, but they’re moving in the right direction overall, I think. Their balance sheet is very

clean going forward and as long as they don’t clutter it up with bad deals, they should have a reasonable

chance to regain consistent contender status. Just not yet.

Carolina Kraken General Manager: Aaron Weiner

Projection:

Last Season: 68-94, 6th in JLA Post Season: None Runs Scored: 711 Runs Allowed: 859

New Faces RP Manny Vargas

3B Davis Locke

Players Gone DH Frank Thomas III

RP Hector Reyna

"I don't look in the mirror and see a superstar. I see a guy who's worked for everything he has and is very lucky to have been as

successful as he is."

Frank Thomas III: Wise Kraken 21.3031: Perspective on FT III

Carolina staged one of the most shocking developments of the offseason, trading away team icon Frank

Thomas III for a pitching prospect. Dealing Thomas away has been the reaction to a a tough time for

the Kraken, and it’s hard to imagine a more fitting scene than this one: watching Valeri Kharlamov

knocked out on the diamond around second base, a lump on his head and a dagger in the heart of the

Kraken season. One wonders what might have been had the superstar second baseman, who earned a

meager $44 million last season, had played the next three months. (And he’s already hurt again, albeit a

smaller injury.) Instead, the Kraken appear to now be in the late stages of a complete rebuild.


So, just when will the kids come up?

This leads to the pressing question on everyone’s minds when they see the Kraken: when are they going

to call up the kids? Just a short time ago, the team had the #1 farm in the game, and they still have ten

of the top 100 prospects, a list that doesn’t even include top catching prospect Francisco Flores. A lot of

parameters make this tricky: there are spots on the team which are taken by other players, players the

team needs to try out, and a limited number of spaces on the team’s 27-man roster. The team is due to

lose money for the second straight season, and there are a lot of guys there who either aren’t 100%

developed or who have never seen the AAA level.

Of course, this ignores the team on the field, which stands to be pretty good in a lot of spots but really

nothing to write home about. Jorge Vargas has turned himself into one of the league’s better two-way

players, and Gabriel Delgado has a chance to be that kind of player. Chet Gabriel and Chris Klein could

both hit better next year; Klein specifically made a quantum leap forward from his disastrous rookie year

and could make another this year. Catcher was very productive, as Colby Stephens stole 58 bases in 70

tries and Alberto Padilla hit 12 homers in just 180 at bats. It’s hard to say when the young guys will be

called up, but we’d expect a few players to join the big club this season.

Still, the bullpen is full of questions beyond Rafael Mata, the pitching staff is still breaking in players

like Andre Georges and maybe Celio Marin or Lucas Meech, and they still haven’t called up the rest of

the kids. The good news: the team stands to cut payroll to under $60 million in 2033, they have a #1

overall pick coming of age in Dempster, an expansive and deep farm, more high draft picks coming up,

and a lot of trade capital to spend. There are rumbles of a new ballpark or even departure from the

Queen City next year. The Kraken aren’t good now, but they might be exciting in as little as a year.


JL Southern

Las Vegas has won this division in six of the last seven seasons, though some teams are trying to make it interesting for them. Division titles are, of course, a huge advantage in the era of two-division leagues as those two teams and only those two teams get a bye directly into the Doubleday round. The Hustlers have won just one title over the past twelve years despite making the playoffs in each season, so they’ll take any advantage they can get. Vegas could win this division in a walkover, and it wouldn’t be new: they won this division by 16 games last year. They’ve failed to win 100 games just once since 2026, and in that year they did finish in second place to the Huntsville Phantoms, who are projected to win 90 games in 2032. The real contender for the JL Southern throne might be San Antonio, who made huge offseason adds offensively and still have a superb pitching staff. In fact, just Havana is projected to be completely out of the playoff race in this division. The Phoenix Talons are one of the league’s more intriguing dark horses. New Orleans still has a ton of pitching even without Miguel Datiz, though they still have offensive issues. The Hawaii Tropics are a solid team, though it’s hard to see the major upswing from them. It’s been Las Vegas’ to lose for quite some time, and the division appears to be still be in that state 2032, but we’ll see if anyone can steal the crown from the Hustlers.



Las Vegas 97 65 .599 - 102 60 962 740

San Antonio 91 71 .562 6 85 77 744 706

Huntsville 90 72 .556 7 86 76 873 774

Phoenix 83 79 .512 14 81 81 787 746

Hawaii 81 81 .500 16 82 80 705 729

New Orleans 78 84 .481 19 82 81 708 702

Havana 67 95 .414 30 66 96 719 929


Las Vegas Hustlers General Manager: Matt Rectenwald

Projection:

Last Season: 102-60, Won JLS Post Season::Lost Cartwright Cup Runs Scored: 962 Runs Allowed: 771

New Faces 2B Jonathan Archer

RP Julio Velasco RP Shawn Huber

Players Gone 3B Alex Ramirez

RP Juliano Fallardo

“Was there any scenario in which I envisioned that Hyun-sik Chang (0 - 1, 6.57 ERA, 1.62 WHIP, 7 K) and Hirotada Miura (1 - 1, 3.95

ERA, 1.17 WHIP, 9 K) would both be in our rotation at the end of August?” mused Rectenwald. “Zero percent. That's not to disparage

them, we like them both very much; but down the road, not now”

WHIV 2030.32- Rolling the Dice at the End of July

Look for the Hustlers To Be Top of the Table Again in 2032

Las Vegas has been up so long, it’s absurd to begin to predict their demise. You won’t see any such

preview here. The top offense in the BBA last year shows no signs of stopping, slowing down, or

pausing for anything, and the pitching staff added pieces this offseason that might help the team even

more than their price tags would suggest.

First of all, you know almost all the names on offense: Ridder, Martinez, Brewer, Gulliver. The

Hustlers’ core could be paired with just about anybody with a pulse, but Juan Sweetworld took the

league by storm last year after a tepid debut, and Alfredo Bermudez had what appears to be a career year

in 2031. The team finished with a league-best 38.9 WAR offensively last year, and it wasn’t even all

that close.

As the Hustlers won only 94 games, you might have guessed their pitching staff wasn’t quite the unit

their offense was, and you’d be correct. Top starter Gary Estes should still be a good pitcher this year,


but scouts say the possible future Hall of Famer dropped a huge amount in velocity this offseason, and

we saw what that did to Billy Chapel, Jr. Fortunately, Estes isn’t precisely the ace of the staff any

longer, as Sam Romero and his gaudy 23-3 record give him a remarkable 41-7 record over the first two

full seasons of his career. The Hustlers have a number of major league ready pitching prospects to fill

out the rotation, and they’d probably be better off having players like Hyun-sik Chang or Roberto

Martinez in the rotation than Jesus Ramos, Julio Velasco, or Hiroyuki Rin, all three of which could

make up the basis for any bullpen in the BBA. There’s little question that at the very least, Vegas has

the best bullpen in the Johnson League; they may have too many options rather than too few in the pen.

Las Vegas should have no problem getting under the cap next year as it stands right now. They have a

very interesting decision to make on Estes, as the veteran lefty’s $14.2 million vesting option takes

effect only if he has 30 starts. At age 37, with some wear and tear on the tires, letting Estes go in free

agency and taking your chances elsewhere would make the most sense for the organization. They’ve

already traded him in the past, so there shouldn’t be any sort of odd conflict. Presuming a falloff from

Estes, it will be interesting to see how they manage to cover for the loss of his production. Bottom line:

the Hustlers will surely be back in the playoffs again and should have no problem winning at least 95

games.

San Antonio Outlaws General Manager: Mike Calvaruso

Projection:

Last Season: 85-77, 3rd in JLS Post Season: Lost in Doubleday Runs Scored: 744 Runs Allowed: 706

New Faces DH Frank Thomas III 3B/OF Alex Ramirez

1B Dale Jones

Players Gone C Juan Castillo RF Mark Stuart

IF Jonathan Archer

“San Antonio is entering their second season at their new home and excitement is at an all-time high. Fan Interest and Fan Loyalty could not get any higher and it showed as the Outlaws sold over 30,000 season tickets.”

The Outlaw Chronicles 2031-11 Wick Lands Spot

San Antonio made the playoffs last year and even won a first round matchup against Huntsville. They

had a little money in the bank, tremendous fan interest and a massive market. And after a long period of

what seemed like total apathy, San Antonio dealt a pitching prospect to Carolina for Frank Thomas III,

which ought to put a Little Hurt in the lineup. Do the Outlaws still have enough to call themselves

contenders, or did they abdicate to someone else?

Let’s start with the pitching staff, which was the second best group in the Johnson League last season.

Juan Jose Ornelas finally won the Steve Nebraska after four second-place finishes, which helps to

potentially bolster his Hall of Fame credentials. The Outlaws also still have Nelson Ramirez, still a top

starter, and they also have one of the best young pitchers in the game in John Wick, who scouts say has

surged forward this offseason. That’s maybe the best 1-2-3 combination around right now. Juan

Rodriguez is a highly capable #4 starter and Elliott Buckland looks like another prime young starter at

the #5 spot. That’s an awesome rotation, maybe the best in the BBA right now. Jonathan Bowen is also

still a top closer, though the bullpen is highly questionable in the middle innings.


The offense got tremendously better with the

addition of Thomas (and Alex Ramirez), but there

are still question marks on the team. Jesus

Fernandez is the most shocking 5 WAR player I can

imagine, though with his speed and defense he’s

valuable. John Aguilera hadn’t posted a league

average OPS since 2027. Antonio Tobias also hit

for an absurd 1.112 OPS in 164 at bats, though he

could be expected to do well. So what’s driving

this lineup? Defense. They have solid, often

spectacular defensive players at most positions on

the diamond, and they’re just praying for guys like

Robert Gowron, Paul Warren, and Roberto Ramirez

to hit. Adding Dale Jones for peanuts was a shrewd

move, though, and Thomas can slide right into their

vacant DH spot seamlessly.

It’s possible that the Outlaws still need to make a move or two for offense, especially in the outfield. If

some of their current players become solid or they manage to make another move for offense, this is an

extremely dangerous team. If pitching wins championships, San Antonio can, but they’re going to have

to figure out a way to not get shut out by playoff starters if they’re going to be serious contenders.

They’re on a short window because just about all of their top guys are on the wrong side of 30, but for

the short term, we can see them winning 90 games.

Huntsville Phantoms General Manager: Scott Murphy

Projection:

Last Season: 86-76, 2nd in JLS Post Season: Lost in Geoghegan Runs Scored: 873 Runs Allowed: 774

New Faces RP Robby O’Bryan

Players Gone 3B Connor Tyldsley

To say the Phantoms fanbase was stunned at the trade that sent RP Jorge Jiménez to Montreal for RF Joaquín Salars and SP Andrés

Martínez would be an understatement. Both fans and the local media were openly wondering if the team had given up on the playoffs

when they dealt one of their most consistent relievers.

31.7 Roster shakeup????

Huntsville is as solid a contender as there is in the game right now. With a starting rotation whose core

hasn’t changed in years, a solid offense led by superstar Fernando Moreno, and one of the all-time greats

at closer, the Phantoms have no serious issues in the near term and should be solid for years to come.

They’re on a ticking clock, but for now, the team looks every bit like a playoff team.

The Huntsville pitching staff will likely get a big boost from the development of top pitching prospect

Heinrich Peithner, a top 20 prospect who should make a big splash in the rotation this year. Add those

Little Hurt Turns the Outlaws Into Contenders


to the consistency of Chunk Cavazos, Gerardo Fajardo, and a likely bounce-back year from Felipe Baez,

and you have the makings of a very good starting rotation. The bullpen is mediocre with little upside or

downside other than closer Turtle Sanderson, one of the finest relievers in the game for a decade.

The offense was quite good last year, helped by

Fernando Moreno’s astonishing season. Not only did he

have a career-best 61 home runs, but his 1.138 OPS was

the highest mark in – get this – twenty-five years. The

lineup also benefited from continued excellence from

DH Ed Curry, catcher Jim Miranda and center fielder

Jean-Luc Lacaze, and another huge season from infielder

Juan Rodriguez. The team lacks productive role players

because of their budget issues, though Anthony

Templeman might have some juice if given a starting

role.

The team on the field is productive, but the front office

has some serious questions to answer. After Moreno’s

61 homer season, he’s going to want six years and $100

million, and Curry will probably want $50 million.

Creative accounting and allowing Gerardo Guzman to

walk ASAP will probably let them pay both, but it sets

them up for a future crash. Add those contracts to the

Cavazos deal and they’re highly exposed to big future

problems and will have to figure out how to pay Felipe

Baez in two years.

In the meantime, though, this is a rock-solid team with a solid present. It’s hard to imagine them as

contenders in 2036, but in 2032, this team has every chance to make the playoffs and win playoff series.

Phoenix Talons General Manager: Sean Marko

Projection:

Last Season: 81-81, 6th in JLS Post Season: None Runs Scored: 787 Runs Allowed: 746

New Faces SP Ignacio Rodriguez 2B Orlando Medrano

P Josh Rosser

Players Gone C Sam Adams

CF Abdelwahab Kamade SP Yan Heijnen

“We're just going to throw money and a ML contract at Deortez and hope for the best.”

2031, Ammy Draft Chatter

Phoenix is the best team you’ve never heard of, know nothing about, barely knew existed. And yet this

is a team that can clearly contend for a wild card, which has one of the shocking late-blooming stars in

the game, a competitive pitching staff with an award-winning closer, and has definitely piqued my

It’s Down and In or Gone When You Pitch to

Moreno


interest. They’ve had a 200% increase in season tickets, and I can see why – I’d probably buy one

myself if I were in the Grand Canyon State.

Let’s start with the guy you’ve never heard of: Carlton Winson. Winson was amazing last year for the

Talons, defensively excellent with an incredible power/contact/patience combo that gave him a 1.028

OPS last year – and what’s remarkable is that Winson was at best a middling player before he turned 28

years old. At this point perhaps the most untouchable player in the league, Winson is going to be a

bargain well into his 30s. It’s a good thing they have him, too, because the rest of the Talons’ lineup is

marginal. Gilberto Keating and Felix Avila’s worth was nearly all derived from stolen bases last year.

Luis Baca is still passable offensively but he’s a shell of his former self. The team got solid half-seasons

from Al Gordon and Cesar Valencia, and the offseason signing of Orlando Medrano might reap some

dividends, but overall it’s mostly a mess outside of the superior bat of Winson. They could really use

top prospect Mario Deortez at some point this season.

If Phoenix’s offense has problems with continuity,

there are much fewer of those problems on the

pitching staff. The big move for Ignacio Rodriguez

gives them at least the potential for a second top

starter to go with Martin Ssempa, whose numbers

were only down because of partially torn labrum.

The team is walking a tightrope with Harry

Considine, but he’s been a solid starter two years in a

row. Floyd Carter is still reliable, and Jose Cisneros

posted 13 wins and a 3.75 ERA last year. Last year

they also had the top closer in the JL in 24 year old

Timofei Bakitski, and you get a cookie if you’d ever

heard of him before last year. The rest of the pen is

mediocre at best.

Rodriguez is clearly the team’s salvo to try to move

ahead in the pecking order. It could work, too; the

veteran righty is so good he can post a 3.40 ERA

while giving up 40 homers, like he did in 2030. If

the team makes a ton of money this season, they

could even try to get out from under the Baca

contract by buying him out, and they could clear $22

million in cap space by declining all the team options

next year, giving them some more flexibility to move forward. Oh, and in case you didn’t know,

Phoenix also has the #2 ranked farm system in the BBA. This is a franchise with potentially big things

coming, and they may start this season. I wouldn’t be surprised a bit.

Ssempa’s Injury Winged the Talon’s Chances Last Year. Can He

Bring Phoenix Back From the Ashes in 2032?


Hawaii Tropics General Manager: Mike Bieschke

Projection:

Last Season: 82-80, 4th in JLS (tie) Result: None (error in tiebreaker) Runs Scored: 719 Runs Allowed: 729

New Faces SP Chris Lee

C Paul Scholes RP Jesus Feliciano

Players Gone RP Tomas Claros C Jeremy Carter

“The Hawaii Tropics, whom many have called "a mess", and "a train wreck", are sitting at 19-20 through 39 games. That's not so

messy.”

2031/3 Pitching, pitching, pitching, oh and defense

The Tropics added Paul Scholes to settle the pitching staff

Hawaii had a potential playoff appearance stolen from them by a technical flaw which processed a three-

way tie for the fourth wild card as a two-way playoff. Otherwise, after two-straight 90-loss seasons, the

season was a success for the Tropics. The number shouldn’t have been surprising: over the past eleven

years, Hawaii has had 82, 83, or 84 wins six times. What is remarkable about their solid season is that

the Tropics managed to finish above .500 last year and still add serious help. Hawaii managed to add

talent in every aspect of the game, and didn’t lose anyone they couldn’t live without. Did they do

enough to make the playoffs while keeping chance out of the equation this year?

The Tropics’ biggest add this offseason was probably the triumphant return of former Hawaii ace Chris

Lee, who returned after four seasons in the wilderness. Lee is still most of what he was, and has been

one of the most consistent starters in the game for a decade and a half. Along with Jody Nunez, Antonio

Cardenas, Matt Mills and Germao Traado (and possibly Raul Sanchez), Lee makes up one of the most

complete rotations in the league. Jesus Feliciano, Jose Garcia, and Alfredo Chavez were also all

acquired and join Lawrence Stokes and Hector Barajas to spearhead a now powerful bullpen, and we

might even see an appearance from top prospect Dean Oulton this year.


The Hawaii offense isn’t quite as impressive as the pitching staff. The hitting stars are Joe Wilcox, one

of the best third basemen in the game, and Bill Amezaga, who has found success with the Tropics in

recent years. Paul Backstrom is still launching homers, and players like Bill Ayers and Manuel

Rodriguez help out offensively. Michael Durham went through a rough year last year, but we’d expect

the youngster to bounce back big this year. Defensively the team can really pick it, with Paul Scholes

the newest addition to the crack defensive group.

Pitching, defense, and a few guys who can hit a little should spell at least a .500 record for the Tropics,

who were third in the league in preventing runs last year. They might need a trade or two to really make

the offense go, but if they can manage to get it together, the Tropics might have a chance to win 85-90

games this year and really break the mold. They will need to consider the direction of the franchise, as

the Tropics don’t have an extensive farm and aren’t a particularly young team, but for this year Hawaii

should have a wild card contender.

New Orleans Crawdads General Manager: Jim Roberts

Projection:

Last Season: 82-81, 4th in JLS (tie) Post Season: Lost 1-game play-in Runs Scored: 708 Runs Allowed: 702

New Faces SS Jerome Marion

C Hsin Mei

Players Gone SP Miguel Datiz (injury)

C Kirk Burkett CF Jeremy Land

“I tried to re-sign him this offseason, but he said he didn’t get along with my manager (or pitching coach). Then as free agency passed

and he didn’t have a team, he begged me to take him...and i told him to go to Hell. He ended up in Yellow Springs. Draw your own

conclusions

Response regarding Jose Marroquin: The Most Interesting Man in Baseball

The New Orleans Crawdads have settled into a well

of mediocrity over the past few seasons. Their

mediocrity has been enough to take the third or fourth

wild card in each of the past few seasons with the

exception of last season, when they finished 82-81

after losing a tiebreaker, but that doesn’t change the

fact that they haven’t been particularly good in any of

those seasons. They also haven’t won a playoff

game, going a combined 0-7 over the past three years

including their tiebreaker last year. With the

untimely loss of superstar righthanded pitcher Miguel

Datiz for the year, and #3 starter Gabriel Alfonso for

half, they may be pressed to maintain even mediocrity.

If the Crawdads are going back to the playoffs, they’ll need some pitchers to step up. They finished first

in runs allowed last year, though a repeat of that is probably optimistic at this point. Freddy Delgado

and Luis Espinosa can fortunately hold together most rotations, and they’ll have to pick up the slack

The Crawdad’s Lost a Play-In Last Year To See Their

Wild Card Dreams Crash and Burn


here. The team also has Dave Martin in reserve, and could use prospect Sergio Franco as a fourth

starter. Few teams have enough pitching depth to overcome the loss of maybe the top pitcher in the

BBA, but New Orleans does. The loss of Martin in the pen weakens the unit, but they still have quite a

few strong throwers in there like Duggan Padgett, Rafael Morales, and Jose Gutierrez.

They’ll need the rotation to step up, because New Orleans scored just 708 runs last year in a virtual tie

for last place in the Frick League. The Crawdads could get a full year from former IFA Hsin Mei, who

despite his “Hollywood” nickname wasn’t ready for prime-time yet in a September callup. He should be

better this year, and numbers like his AAA numbers last year, when he hit .285 with 52 doubles, are

within reach. Mark Dempsey was his usual spectacular self, and the so-called ageless wonder Fred

Hernandez crushed it, but the team didn’t get much help anywhere else. Even with Mei, the team isn’t

particularly good on offense; their only and best hope at this point is that outfielder Arthur Norris makes

the leap.

New Orleans will have to dig into their top-rated farm system this season, and while the team is as solid

financially as anyone in the BBA, their payroll will make it a little tricky to add players. If Norris and

Mei make the leap this year, and their bullpen remains relatively solid, they might overcome their

enormous losses and make the playoffs again. However, they also might not get there. Next year, when

Datiz returns, their prospect will be a year older, the team could reasonably have as much as $45-50

million in cap space to carefully pursue free agency, and they could make some serious noise. They

should be careful what they do this year, because a knee-jerk response might hurt the franchise long-

term.

Havana Sugar Kings General Manager: Randy Weigand

Projection:

Last Season: 66-96, 7th in JLS Post Season: None Runs Scored: 719 Runs Allowed: 929

New Faces 1B Albert Gaona

CF Abdelwahab Kamade LF Hector Cantu

Players Gone SP Ignacio Rodriguez

RP Miguel Macias 1B Julio Morin

“Arriving to the press conference eschewing the traditional business attire of suit and tie, preferring instead for a pair of slacks and a

comfortable shirt Weigand got right to the point by sitting down at the podium, rolling up his sleeves and announcing “I am here to work

and fix this franchise, and anyone who isn’t willing to do the same can catch the first flight back to the States for good, as they are not

welcome in this organization.”

Havana Herald 2031.3

Havana was not a good team last season, and they will undoubtedly struggle this year. Their most

significant moves this offseason involved trading away their two best pitchers to get younger. They

have built up an excellent farm but not much on the major league level. And so on. And so forth. Let’s

first look at how bad the team is, then a serious look at how good they might be, soon.


To get this out of the way: the Sugar Kings’ pitching

staff is just atrocious. Not only is there not a single

pitcher on the staff who could be considered a quality

major league pitcher, there isn’t much of anyone who’s

likely to become a top starter. Noonien Soong has the

best shot, but he’s a junkballing lefty who throws

flyballs. Fernando Alaniz is on the downside of his

career. Paul Farrell might be fine, but he wasn’t last year

at all and he’s already 28. The bullpen is possibly the

biggest wreck of any single unit in the BBA.

Their offense is another story. Reece Wareham is a

legitimate star at shortstop and could even improve, and

Jose Gamboa is a strong performer at catcher. Players

like Dave Wilfer, Jeffrey Cunningham, Abdelwahab

Kamade, and Hector Cantu are solid performers. Albert

Gaona is a potential Joe Gillstrom candidate, even as a

righty first baseman. This is a middle of the pack lineup,

but the addition of Gaona might make them put them in

the upper half of the middle third.

A better focus for this team is on the rebuilding effort. The team is obviously serious about a complete

rebuild, and by 2034, the only player they’d have under a legitimate major league contract is Dave

Wilfer. They’ll have some tough choices to make at that time with some arbitration contracts, especially

players like Gamboa and Kamade. They have a number of solid pitching prospects, and they’ll have to

hope that players like Feliciano Rafael and Aki Kondo begin harnessing some of their significant talents.

In the meantime, getting out from under Ignacio Rodriguez, as harsh as that is, does excellent things for

their franchise. Given their current path, if they’re careful with money, show restraint in free agency,

and get some luck from their minor leagues, I can see this team in contention for at least a wild card by

2035. It’s going to be a long slog, and they’ll have to be very conservative, but they have a real chance

to succeed in the future.

A Familiar Sight at a Sugar Kings Game


FL Heartland For a team that’s made the playoffs in five of the last six years, the fact that Yellow Springs won their first division title since 2019 is a bit of an eye opener. The Nine have been in the mix several straight seasons, and finally broke through last year with not only their first division title in twelve seasons, but their first pennant ever. However, no team fell back further than the Nine this year, and there are three outstanding teams in the FL Heartland, and two potential risers in the middle (and Twin Cities and Indy). Louisville is still a dominant force in the BBA, and Madison finally broke through with a 90-win season last year which could improve with some offseason adds. These three teams could duke it out until the season’s final month to see who gets the first round bye. Don’t count out more playoff appearances from the middle teams, though. The Des Moines Kernels have two of the biggest stars in the league. Omaha is a year away, probably, but check back next year because they’re building something special. Indy spent a ton of money to improve this offseason, but it looks like it’s not quite enough to rise out of the hole they were in. Twin Cities has a long way to go, and they haven’t been lucky with draft picks, but they’re doing fine. It’s going to be a difficult race to call at any point in the season, and that makes it pretty exciting. All three teams at the top should make it to the playoffs, so it’s conceivable that we have an all-Heartland Cartwright Cup.



Louisville 97 65 .599 - 94 68 781 635

Yellow Springs 93 69 .574 4 100 62 818 619

Madison 92 70 .568 5 90 72 867 788

Des Moines 83 79 .512 14 83 79 736 745

Omaha 80 82 .494 17 74 88 672 760

Indy 71 91 .438 26 64 98 653 822

Twin Cities 67 95 .414 30 64 98 691 831


Louisville Sluggers General Manager: Stu Hopkins

Projection:

Last Season: 94-68, 2nd in FLH Post Season: Lost in Doubleday Runs Scored: 781 Runs Allowed: 635

New Faces 2B Chester Owens SS Jaime Ramirez

2B Gabriel Talamante

Players Gone Nobody worth noticing

“Imagine how far behind you be if I hadn't already lost five starters to various lengths of injury this season...”

Response to: 9-Lives: 31.026 – Tepid Start Has Fans Grumbling

Louisville is basically like Brigadoon. (Shoot, my education is showing.) Brigadoon is a miraculously

blessed village that rises out of the mist for only a day, then disappears so that nothing will change.

Louisville’s history goes something like this: decades of ineptitude, year after year after year of losing

records, sometimes in the hundreds, and then, from the mist, comes three or four years of solid

contention before fading back into nothing. The 2030 BBA champions have won 102, 115, and 94

games in the last three years, and their run is due to fade into the mist any time now. Will they

disappear this year, or are they still around?

Louisville’s personnel seems to imply contender

status for another year. Louisville’s top lineup

wouldn’t have been the same without Brian

Clough, who they stole on the open market for $5

million a year to return, but it’s still awfully good

no matter how you slice it. The team is especially

strong up the middle, with Sean MacGuire and

Gabriel Talamante a superb double play

combination and Shag Hopkins and future Hall of

Famer Leon Sandcastle monitoring the bookends.

Players like Ramiro Marino and Mike Barnett are

stars in their own right. We’re sure they’re not

thrilled about the injury to Antonio Robles, but

Shag Hopkins is plenty good enough to start. The

lineup is one of many good lineups in the Frick

League, but will certainly keep them competitive.

Where Louisville excelled last year was in

preventing runs, and especially defense. Jon Chandler has hit his stride playing for the Sluggers and is a

legitimate annual Steve Nebraska candidate. Anastasio Quintana has been nails since winning

Comeback Player of the Year in 2028. Abe Colbert, Jr. is showing everything they say about

knuckleballers might be true, and Mario Gonzalez was solid last season. Pepe Jaramillo might be a year

early, but they might break him in later in the season. The return of Felipe Murillo will help them

somewhere, as the righty is listed as a starter but was dominant in the bullpen before a full-season injury

last year.

Genius is the Hot Dog that Stirs the Burger in Louisville


It would be shocking if the Sluggers didn’t compete for at least a wild card this year, and they also have

one of the strongest and deepest farm systems in the league. They’re going to need it: much of their

core is 33 years old or older. However, a bird’s-eye view is very rosy. The Sluggers have a solid bridge

to the future, a powerhouse on the field, and a complete team. They should be a force to be reckoned

with in October.

Yellow Springs Nine General Manager: Ron Collins

Projection:

Last Season: 100-62, Won FLH Post Season: Lost in Landis Runs Scored: 818 Runs Allowed: 619

New Faces RP Miguel Macias RP Steve Russell

Players Gone SP Eduardo Lopez RP Cesar Martinez SS Juan Arevalo

“And it makes people who follow baseball as a religion wonder if this is beginning to look like a team of destiny, a team where the parts

are falling into place as the season goes along, a team the gets those mystical clutch hits and gritty pitching performances just when they need them. That double play in a tight spot. Could it be? Could the Nine be Destiny's Child in 2031?”

9-Lives: 31.068 – Gonzalez Homer Beats Barnstormers

Yellow Springs won 100 games last year and the FL pennant, the first pennant in franchise history if we

don’t count the unyear of 2017. However, some of the superior play seems like a bit of a fluke. Indeed,

the Nine jumped from 85 wins the year before to 100 with only a modest increase in payroll. Part of that

was the development of now superstar shortstop Angel De Castillo, but some of that is just pure luck.

The team also lost ace starter Eduardo Lopez this offseason in free agency. While continued contention

makes perfect sense for the Nine, is this this the sort of team that could repeat as division winners and a

100-win juggernaut?

Just about every Yellow Springs regular hit to the fullest of

their ability last year, most likely. Sure, De Castillo and

superstar second baseman Lucas McNeill were expected to

post remarkable numbers, and they didn’t disappoint.

Carlos Garcia is one of the better Moneyball hitters in the

game today, posting solid numbers without a good batting

average. But when you’re getting guys like Juan Arevalo

putting up 12 homers in 208 at bats and 5 WAR out of the

platoon of Earl Jackson and J.J. McQuade, you’re maxing

out your talent on the field. Just about every role player

played above average baseball for the Nine last year, and

that’s not likely to happen again. So let’s chop off 3-4

games just for good measure.

Then we have to start chopping off games for the loss of

Lopez, who was fantastic for the Nine after coming over in

what was in retrospect one of the great ripoff trades ever.

Alberto Sanchez is likely to fall back, not the opposite, and 2029 Steve Nebraska winner Jose Chavez is

Will Lucas McNeill’s Dalliance with Mikki

Manning be a distraction?


still dominant but has been unable to stay on the field lately. The team’s best chance to cover for the

loss of Lopez’ numbers is to hope Chavez stays healthy or for some player like Tim Oliver or Francisco

Catazara to come out of nowhere. The Nine’s bullpen is one of the more dominant units in the game,

but even they have some room for fallback just because of how good they’ve been.

The team has the #10 prospect in the game in catcher Aaron Stone, who probably has the starting job

this year, and the team is cleverly designed with good but not great players at nearly every position. The

Nine should be a very strong team again, but let’s put them somewhere between their current 100 win

season and their 85 win season of a year ago. A 93-win record seems about right.

Madison Wolves General Manager: Chris Wilson

Projection:

Last Season: 90-72, 3rd in FLH Post Season: Lost in Geoghegan Runs Scored: 867 Runs Allowed: 788

New Faces SP Alfredo Granados

RF Mark Stuart 2B Manuel Garcia

Players Gone CF Manuel Freyta RP Manny Vargas

“This is rather unprecedented stuff we are dealing with here. Myself, Mayor Ett, and the Governor of Wisconsin are working to close the

border to the state and not allow anyone from Kentucky into Madison for the games.” When asked how they'd screen travelers, Wilson

responded: "It won't be too difficult. Basically anyone wearing a cut off t-shirt, jorts, and or missing some teeth won't be allowed to enter the state on days we are playing at home."

That's What Cheesehead: 31.19 - Madison Mayor Insulted

It’s almost impossible to believe this, but

before Madison’s surprise 90-win season in

2031, the Wolves hadn’t had a single winning

season since – get this – 2021. That’s nearly

an entire decade of losing seasons between

winning seasons. For a franchise that reeled

off thirteen straight division titles and two

MBBA crowns between 1997 and 2009, that

was an incredibly shocking result. The big

question in Madison after breaking out of

those doldrums last year is a simple one: was

their last season a fluke?

Good news for Madison fans: it’s NOT a

fluke. The #1 offense in the Frick League

resides in Madison, and that was without

Dusty Rhodes doing anything approaching a

batting title. It shouldn’t have come as a huge

surprise to anyone: the Wolves’ offensive

players are superb. It ain’t Bopper and Cricket, but Madison can really rake. Don Draper and Mons

Raider might be the best infield combination in the game (unless you count Gillstrom and anybody with

Raider Stole the Show in 2032


a pulse). Raider, a rookie last year, might be the best basestealer the BBA has ever seen: he set the all-

time record for steals in a season in his only BBA season. Jon Mick and Luis Barrera are big stars in

their own right, and Steve Dempsey DID win the batting title, his first, with an incredible 62 doubles.

And, yes, there’s Rhodes, whose lifetime .327 average is 16th all time for players with more than 4000

plate appearances.This team can really rake, and they added veteran Mark Stuart.

With that much offense, it should come as little surprise that the Wolves spent a fair amount of their cap

space on starting pitcher Alfredo Granados this offseason, who should pair well with starters Luis Soto,

Marcos Villegas, Tommy Dietz, and possibly rookie Ricardo Ortiz. None of these guys are exceptional,

but with the Wolves’ ability to rake, they should be able to keep them in games enough to do the job.

Their bullpen is somewhat marginal, especially with the loss of Manny Vargas, though players like

Emilio Sanchez and Ruben Vargas could be better.

It’s easy to see Madison’s offense skyrocketing to the front of the line again, and in a league where six

out of fourteen teams make it to the playoffs, a #1 offense will get you to the postseason, especially if

your pitching isn’t bad. They need a true top starter to really bring this all together, but it’s difficult to

see how they’d get one without surrendering Luis Maldonado. Ultimately, this team will go as far as

their offense will take them, or if they’re somehow creative enough to turn Ruben Vargas’ salary slot

into a better starting pitcher.

Des Moines Kernels General Manager: Edward Murphy

Projection:

Last Season: 83-79, 4th in FLH Post Season: None Runs Scored: 736 Runs Allowed: 745

New Faces SP Juan Hernandez

3B Diego Moreno

Players Gone SP Chris Lee

“The Kernels finished the sweep of the Valencia Starts then were swept by Long Beach Surfers. GM Ed Murphy said “ what comes around goes around”

TN & Sim 5 Recap 2031-06

Welcome to the Hawkeye State, home of superstars. Cisco Arreola and William Moreland are two of

the best players in the BBA, but the team hasn’t kept up precisely, winning 81, 83, and 83 games

respectively in the last three seasons. Yes, this means that if the team gets a little bit of luck, they’ll

make the playoffs, and the Kernels did make steps to improve the team somewhat, but they may have to

improve six games to do it, and it’s hard to say they’ve gone the whole way up there; they might need

some other teams to fall back. So, to fill space, we’ll start projecting some of Arreola and Moreland’s

career numbers later on in this preview.

All you really need to know about the Kernels’ offense is that they have Moreland and Arreola and

scored just 736 runs last year, which is not flukish: that followed 723 runs in 2030. Adding Tony

Banuelos back from a year hiatus should help the offense. If you’re looking for the other offensive

performers, the returning Steve Jefferson was solid last year, and Lew Driscoll and Sergio Cordova were


league average. That’s it. William S. Hardy didn’t live up to his gaudy draft position, but he has been a

rock-solid defensive shortstop who isn’t a total zero offensively. The offense may improve with the

return of Banuelos.

Is Arreola One of the Best Ever?

Mike Davis has turned into a solid 1A starter, consistent and solid as it gets. Offseason signing Juan

Hernandez was a slight overpay, but he’s only 28 years old so he’s unlikely to fade too quickly; all he’s

doing is replacing Chris Lee, however. Don Bird had a fantastic year last year, and he has a chance to

repeat but won’t be better. Ramon Hernandez is decent enough as a fourth starter. Julio Negrete and

Elwood Blues are interesting options in the rotation, and either could have a decent season. The bullpen

is shaky, but not disastrous, and closer Carlos Sanchez was solid last season. Colt Anderson is one of

the better setup men in the game, too.

So the Kernels have a pretty solid team. Could they make the playoffs with what they have and what

they got off the market? Instead, we’ll think about what might happen to the superstars that they have.

Using Bill James’ favorite toy, we projected out 605 career homers for Moreland and Arreola to have

432 homers. That would put Arreola 5th all time among catchers, and Moreland seventh all time among

all players and first among first basemen. At some point, they have to start thinking of whether or not

they can contend with the players around the two (and desperately need to shed salaries like Carlos

Sanchez and Antonio Gonzales), but for now, it’s awfully fun to have two of the biggest superstars in

the league.


Omaha Barnstormers General Manager: Fred Holmes

Projection:

Last Season: 74-88, 5th in FLH Post Season: None Runs Scored: 672 Runs Allowed: 760

New Faces SP Scotty Pendleton

C Sam Adams 2B Mario Garcia

Players Gone RP Steve Russell

RP Wil Aviles

“Gomez, Pendleton, Trujillo, Rios (if he can ever make it off the DL and doesn't get mauled by the lump monster in the process) and

Totten has me cautiously optimistic about my ability to compete next season.”

2031.3: Pendleton wins Mitch Cain Award

Fireballer Scotty Pendleton: the First of A New Wave of Barnstormers

The Barnstormers have one of the most intriguing teams in the BBA this season, one of the cleanest

balance sheets, and one of the top Joe Gillstrom candidates in the game in Scotty Pendleton. The team

is set to make money this season and has a huge glut of cash for 2032. The question with Omaha, who

finished below .500 last year in a respectable fashion, is whether or not there’s another gear to the team

on the field right now.

Omaha still has one of the top ten starters in the game in Enrique Gomez, whose two Steve Nebraska

awards and overwhelming consistency make him a potential Hall of Fame candidate. Jose Trujillo is as

consistent a #2 starter as you might want. Then we get to Pendleton, who has at least #2 starter ability

and flashed that kind of potential at AAA last year. Mark Totten is a constant injury risk, but that’s a

good #4 starter. We can’t believe that the Barnstormers will run Carlos Medina out there every fifth day

this year, but they have candidates for the fifth starter spot. That’s a rotation worth noticing. The

bullpen is less impressive, though players like Ramon Balderas and Maxence Mace should be good

support for Medina, if they make him the closer.


If the pitching staff seems fairly solid, so does the lineup. Jose Estrada is 200 pounds of liquid

awesome. Jorge Castellanos, Valentin Colon and Juan Pablo make up one of the best infields in the

game, so long as they stay healthy. Ralph Benson is still a solid on-base threat but can’t play defense at

all anymore. Free agent signee Sam Adams is starting to lose what little plate discipline he has, and he

could strike out over 200 times this year depending on playing time. Armando Casteneda might bounce

back, but it’s difficult to envision a situation in which the lineup produces better than middle of the pack.

Omaha finished with 4.1 runs scored per game last year, and they could easily eclipse those numbers

this year with good luck.

What’s really exciting about Omaha is what I mentioned in the first part: their balance sheet is as clean

as anyone in the league. The Barnstormers are likely to be $50 million below the hard cap next year,

and they won’t need much to get back into contention. It’ll be tricky to manage that and 2034, but it’s

very possible to see a .500 record for the Barnstormers in 2032 with better records going forward, and

that’s good management. Looking forward to seeing what this group can do.

Indy Grasshoppers General Manager: Justin Niles

Projection:

Last Season: 64-98, 6th in FLH (tie) Post Season: None Runs Scored: 653 Runs Allowed: 822

New Faces RF Emilio Rodriguez SP Domingo Castillo

CF Manuel Freyta

Players Gone SP Gerardo Castillo

“All things seem to be going as expected. The leaves are beginning to change colors, professional and college football has taken back over the country in a vicious fever, and the Indy Grasshoppers have officially been eliminated from playoff contention...”

Season Review & Off-season Plans (2031.17)

Let’s start off by noting that a 98-loss season for Indy isn’t

a disaster: it’s easily their best showing in three years.

Since making six straight playoff appearances from 2021-

2026, the Grasshoppers have been the worst team in the

BBA over that span, losing an average of 100 games

during that time span and that while finishing on or ahead

of their Pythagorean record every one of those seasons.

However, Indy did a bunch in free agency this offseason,

and it’s worth wondering: is this the year the

Grasshoppers turn the corner?

Indy has two of the absolute best prospects in the league,

Emilio Morales and Jimmy Starks, and virtually nothing

else (though Poto Tornatore is a name worth knowing).

Starks is being transitioned to shortstop, which is interesting as he could be one of the league’s biggest

stars if he makes the switch. Offensively, other than the over-the-hill combo of Sunshine Rodriguez and

Esteban Contreras, only Bob Wagner is worth noticing on the major league level offensively (despite a

Can Morales’s Growth Carry the Hoppers?


very fine year from Jim Tremblett). So, yeah, still not there yet. They improved their bullpen

dramatically.

Indy might not continue to rebuild over time, but if they’re looking to win now, they don’t have much

more capital to move forward. It’s not helping that last year’s #5 overall pick, Hotzen Plotz, is an

obvious bust, but they have to get past that. They should be cautious. Even with a stealthy-good

Domingo Castillo signing and an interesting move on Manuel Freyta, they still only have three or four

major league starting pitchers on the roster with zero room for error with injury-prone players.

On the other hand, they may have set themselves up fairly well in the trade market the other way; though

nobody’s dealing for $20 million of Sunshine, they picked up two very movable assets in Domingo

Castillo and Reynaldo Garza and might even be able to move Contreras. They’re doing a perfectly fine

job, but they still have a long way to go back to contender status.

Twin Cities River Monsters General Manager: Scott Piccoli

Projection:

Last Season: 64-98, 6th in FLH (tie) Post Season: None Runs Scored: 691 Runs Allowed: 831

New Faces RP Felix Alvarado P Jose De La Cruz

Players Gone SS Matheus Simeo

CF Ivan Castillo

“There’s no way to sugar coat it, 2031 was a miserable season for the River Monsters.”

2031 River Monsters Beat (2031-09-30) Issue 5 - Wrap Up

Quantifying badness is always a fool’s errand. Invariably,

things happen during the process; you start in with the

hyperbole, you start to over-criticize, you begin finding

flaws where there were only minor problems, and all of a

sudden you’ve snowballed into a full-blown criticism of a

team that’s exactly three seasons old. So I’m not going to

do anything like that. Let’s go ahead and look at what this

team has done right so far in its young existence.

Twin Cities’ first draft pick, Xue-Qin Man, has become an

excellent two-way second baseman. Duane Whitley has

lumped, but his platoon bat still makes him an asset as a

potential starting third baseman. Ricardo Juarez still looks

like a good two-way player with a ton of upside. Chris

Limon is youngish, good, and even his arbitration salary

might not be huge. So far so good. The team has several

very strong pitching prospects and a reasonably clean

balance sheet and is making money every single year


while spending none, and they can keep Juan Cruz and Juan Jose Mayorga from doing extra damage to

the team by making sure their vesting options don’t vest – and they don’t have any other bad contracts.

The bad news we know, of course: they’re going to lose at least 90 games and maybe more. They have

exactly one starting pitcher worth putting out there every fifth day, Jessie Stewart, who’s a solid #3

starter but nobody they’re having long conversations about at bars. The bullpen is actually rather good,

but I’m still confused how that happens on teams that aren’t very good.

Continued badness is probably healthy for this franchise, who hasn’t started their now three-year old life

with a bang, but are at this point in no shape to even bother contending or moving forward. When

rebuilding, it’s all about time horizons. When are you going to declare your first year of potential

contention? When are you good enough to make a push? If Twin Cities decides that’s two or three

years out at least, Stewart and Limon could even be considered tradeable assets if they wanted to

consider that, and considering the leaguewide hunger for center fielders, they could probably do pretty

well for Jayden Harsnett. So there are lots of ways this team could go right now. It’ll be interesting to

see what they decide.


FL Pacific The Long Beach Surfers appear to be the class of the FL Pacific this year, much as they were last season. Long Beach has made the playoffs in each of the last three seasons, last year easily posting their best regular season of the three and the second-highest win total in team history. There aren’t a lot of contenders for this division unless the Surfers wipe out, but it’s worth watching nonetheless. Not helping the cause of division parity is the fact that the Vancouver Mounties lost 3/5 of their pitching staff this offseason. Vancouver, of course, couldn’t afford in the slightest to keep the team together, and while their offense is still solid they’re going to have to scramble to get their pitching staff in order. California ought to move into the #2 spot in the Pacific nicely, and Calgary should be in the mix, also. The rest of the division should be noncontenders. Seattle should bounce back from the depths, but not overmuch, and Edmonton and Valencia should be completely out of the race again. Long Beach is still in very solid shape, but the landscape of the division will change again next year, as the Surfers may be in flux. This year it looks like it’s the Surfers’ crown to lose.



Long Beach 97 65 .599 - 100 62 831 700

California 91 71 .562 6 85 77 787 729

Calgary 87 75 .537 10 89 73 816 687

Vancouver 81 81 .500 16 95 67 733 603

Seattle 79 83 .488 18 68 94 777 825

Valencia 65 97 .401 32 68 94 672 825

Edmonton 62 100 .383 35 70 92 706 872


Long Beach Surfers General Manager: Stephen Lane

Projection:

Last Season: 100-62, Won FLP Post Season: Lost Cartwright Cup Runs Scored: 831 Runs Allowed: 700

New Faces C Juan Castillo

SS Juan Arevalo RP Sebastian Durand

Players Gone RP Alfredo Chavez

RP Jose Garcia RP Julio Velasco

Okay who the hell didn't vote for Carlos Gonzales?

Response to: 2031, All-Star Voting Chatter

Long Beach has been a league power for three years now, winning the Landis in 2029 and losing in the

Cartwright Cup in each of the last two seasons. With a powerful offense led by Carlos Gonzales and

Mark Simpson, and a pitching staff led by future Hall of Famer Manuel Ramirez and Jimmy

Greenwood, this team seems as if it lacks for nothing. However, several contract decisions will make

this year very interesting, as the Surfers, an almost certain playoff team in 2032, will have to start

choosing which players get to stay.

Gonzalez had one of the top fifteen seasons in the history of the BBA last

year, but it was so far outside his career norms that it’s difficult to project

him to do anything like that ever again. Mark Simpson, on the other hand,

repeated his .940 OPS for the second straight year and led the league in

walks by a huge margin. Former top pick Kade Cummins is still on the

team, though he’s not acted like any kind of star since his rookie season.

Third baseman Raymond Aguilera had yet another solid season for Long

Beach in a platoon role, though long-time Surfer Ippolito Basaglia might

be due for a dropoff this season. Offseason addition Juan Castillo and

second-year player Tom Kazansky should help. Antonio Valentin does a

workmanlike job setting up the offense.

The pitching staff wasn’t quite as productive last year as the offense, but

you’re not going to find much more solid rotations than Manuel Ramirez,

Jimmy Greenwood, Esteban Gil and Jose Lozano. Last year’s big

offseason signing, Tavio Ciccolella, will probably be in his last year with

the team; he was solid in 2031. The bullpen was done by committee last

year, and while saves leader Alfredo Chavez is now a Hawaii Tropic, there

were more games saved by the combination of Robert Hansen and Mark

Watson than by Chavez. Watson was clearly the better reliever last year,

but Hansen has been excellent in the past. Eric Trujillo is dominant in the middle innings. The team

signed Sebastian Durand this offseason to try to help the group. Most teams couldn’t have weathered

the loss of three solid relievers, but this is a complete pitching staff.

The Surfers are one of the premier teams in the BBA, but to hold on to that status, they’ll have to make

some big choices this offseason. They’ll have plenty of wiggle room, though, by declining on

Ciccolella; they’re projected to have around $30 million in cap space. Other key options this offseason:

If Carlos Gonzalez has another season

like 2031, the Surfers will be putting up a

status sometime soon.


Juan Castillo, Esteban Gil, Raymond Aguilera, Jose Marroquin. Big arbitration decisions: Jose Lozano,

Ippolito Basaglia, Juan Arevalo. That’s a lot to work around while needing to re-sign Manuel Ramirez

to stay on top. They’ll also be starting arbitration on Simpson and Jimmy Greenwood. With one of the

most shallow farm systems in the game, the team will have to make good decisions to stay on top after

2032. They should have no such problems this year.

California Crusaders General Manager: Ted Schmidt

Projection:

Last Season: 85-77, 4th in FLP Post Season: None Runs Scored: 787 Runs Allowed: 729

New Faces SP Roberto Ramos RP Cesar Ramos

Players Gone 3B John Galt

C David Bruno SP Jose Rivera

"The Crusaders organization has always taken care of me. This is the only home I've known, and the only one I want to. I can't believe

it's been nearly ten years since Schmidt told me he was rebuilding the team around me.”

Ricardo Diaz: California 2031.2 - Diaz a Crusader For Life!

California had the NBA and NHL’s least favorite spot last year: they were the best team in the BBA

that didn’t make the playoffs, the first time they’ve missed the postseason since 2026. That’s not to say

that the Crusaders’ season was a gigantic flop because they didn’t get to play in the postseason. The

Crusaders shattered a franchise record for runs scored last year, and, staggeringly, it was the pitching

staff that let them down. Huge questions swirl around the Crusaders this season, and not even the

questions you would have thought to ask about them. Can California bounce back and make the

playoffs in 2032?

California clearly wasn’t taking any chances on

Ricardo Diaz laying another egg of a season

and went out and signed Ricardo Ramos, a

player who should be a big help to the already

strong California rotation. Diaz’ season was so

uncharacteristic, it’s difficult to remember

quite so big a choke from a superstar player in

his prime in the BBA. Diaz stumbled to a 11-

13, 4.68 mark without so much as a sign that

he’d lost anything else. The first-ballot Hall of

Famer will certainly get help from Ramos this

year, but they should also get big help from the

talented combination of Luis Gracia and Cisco

Morales. In fact, the group might be the best

rotation in the entire Frick League. The

bullpen isn’t nearly so strong as the rotation

and has a lot of holes in it, though Emerson

Mills should once again be among the league’s

best relievers.

California Fans Expect Diaz to Bounce Back


The offensive surge last year was also not at all a fluke, as the team has cultivated a lineup that’s highly

competitive with the other teams in the Frick League. Hunter Eisenhower continued his possible march

to the Hall of Fame with another strong season. Outfielder Dave Brunskill was spectacular in a platoon

role and could be again this year. Claudio Defazio is one of the league’s most productive shortstops.

Chris Workman and defensive whiz Reynaldo Martinez were both solid regulars. Superior defensive

catcher Chip Saunders showed he was ready for an expanded role with a solid season offensively. The

lineup might not score five runs a game again, but they should be productive.

With the addition of Ramos, the opening of a playoff spot with Vancouver losing half their pitching

staff, and a record-setting offense (for California), there’s a good chance that 85 wins will be good

enough for a playoff spot all by itself. Even with a little offensive falloff, Diaz’s improvement should be

enough to get them to the playoffs. California even has a highly underrated farm system, with Miguel

Ramos and Felipe Rosado two of the top pitching prospects in the game and Bryan Robson and Brian

Sullivan excellent infield prospects. Look for California back in the postseason again.

Calgary Pioneers General Manager: Kevin Dickson

Projection:

Last Season: 89-73, 3rd in FLP Post Season: Lost in Doubleday Runs Scored: 816 Runs Allowed: 687

New Faces C David Bruno

P Martin Pacheco

Players Gone RP Bonaventure Habermas

RP Cesar Ramos

“Normally I don't put much stock in Spring Training results, but since we finished 25-5 I think this year they are pretty accurate.”

2031, Spring Training Sim #2/WCB Playoffs Chatter

Calgary is expected to be an hitter’s paradise,

a right-handed powerhitter’s dream, and a

place to go and watch the ball fly around the

park for nine innings. So it came as a

surprise to everyone when the Marauders not

only finished fourth in offense last year but

also a strong fourth in runs allowed. The

Marauders had a thoroughly excellent season

last year, making the playoffs even while

finishing five games below their expected

record. Is this remarkable feat repeatable, or

was it a total fluke?

Calgary does have one of the very finest

starting pitchers in the game in Cristobal

Hernandez, and at 25 years old he appears set

to take over as one of the top aces in the

Fans, grab your mitts! The Pioneer front office moved their fences to help

their right handed hitters


BBA. Atsumori Maeda has shown no serious signs of slowing down at age 33. Lefty Carlos Ramirez

had a remarkable season last year, but nobody believes he can repeat the feat. Last year’s result from

Jake Dickson was way outside his excellent rookie season, as he gave up about half as many home runs.

Martin Pacheco didn’t pitch well in Charm City, but he could improve. In fact, the entire staff gave up

less homers than one would expect from them. The Calgary bullpen is very strong, with players like

Jason Morris, Jesus Arce, and Rob Miller possibly joined by the superior stuff of Oswald Brenner.

While the rotation is likely to take a step backwards or two, the offense could actually move forward this

year despite some aging players. A whole season of Rupert Grant should make a huge difference; he’s

MADE for Calgary. Sparky Anderson should be his usually outstanding table setter, and David Bruno

might very well solidify the catcher spot. Players like Tony Franco, Dan Leonard, Mario Soriano, and

Ron Whitney might all fall backwards this year, but the first three at least should be good, if not their

usual superior selves.

The Maruaders had a virtually ideal season in the rotation last year, as their team ERA of 3.97 was their

second-lowest since they were winning titles in the late teens and early twenties. They’ve been making

the playoffs consistently since 2026, so there’s every reason to believe they’ll contend for a spot again

this year, especially since Vancouver looks like they’ve given up their place. This team has a #1 starter,

one of the top twenty prospects in the minors in Juan Karyabwite, superb levels of fan interest and an

extremely clean balance sheet. The team will have a ton of wiggle room in 2034 as well, and they might

be a very dangerous squad for years to come.

Vancouver Mounties General Manager: Brett Schroeder

Projection:

Last Season: 95-67, 2nd in FLP Post Season: Lost in Geoghegan Runs Scored: 733 Runs Allowed: 603

New Faces P Jorge Jimenez

Players Gone SP Antonio Correa

SP Juan Hernandez SP Alfredo Granados

Brett: “Playing Fernandez in CF is a fireable offense in my opinion... Justin: “Why's that? He has 7,7,6 outfield defense ratings...”

Brett: “Exactly.”

Conversation in: CF...a question with no answer(2031 Season. Article 1)

Nobody lost more this offseason in terms of raw production than the Vancouver Mounties, who won 95

games last year and have won at least 89 games in four of the last five seasons, but there’s a debate to be

had here. While Antonio Correa, Juan Hernandez, and Alfredo Granados represented the beating heart

of the Vancouver pitching staff, the threesome were part of an organizational strategy that led to a lot of

regular season success but led to repeated flameouts in the playoffs.


Vancouver Fans Mount A Search For Their Lost Pitchers

It’s worth mentioning that Vancouver couldn’t have afforded to re-sign any of the three pitchers, as the

lowest salary of the three was Hernandez’ $16 million. However, the effect of losing all three starters is

catastrophic. The Mounties are reduced to hoping that Pablo Figueroa recovers from a torn labrum, are

now using Lambert Snabel as their de facto #1 starter, and players like Carlos Delgado and an over-the-

hill Jorge Jimenez aren’t likely to make an All-Star team. Their bullpen was rock solid last year and

could have been even better with a good year from Bart Ender, but even if Figueroa were healthy this

rotation is second-rate.

The fact that their rotation took a serious hit is a bigger deal because their offense is now surprisingly

solid. Aloysius Gonzaga and Pierre Cordona had career years last season in the lineup, and potential

future Hall of Famer Elroy Hinson is starting to come down from being a superstar to merely being a

star. With players like Dani Lopez, Jorge Sierra, and Jesus Gonzales in the lineup, it’s a solid group 1-9,

but it’s likely to finish no better than middle of the pack given their ballpark parameters.

When you lose 16 WAR from the starting rotation (including Figueroa) on Opening Day, that’s a

monster hit. Vancouver won’t crash and burn this year, but they are going to take a hit in the win/loss

column. The Mounties were barely profitable last year with a $133 million expense sheet, and this year

they’ll probably break even. Next offseason the balance sheet will start looking very good as they’ll

likely decline on players like Dani Lopez, Bart Ender, and maybe Jimenez, and no doubt decline

arbitration on Nate Fletcher.

With no changes that should put the Mounties at a cap number of around $50 million for 2033, which

could put them back on track if their core performs. Vancouver doesn’t have a farm, and they might not

have a playoff spot this year, but the near future could be very bright.


Seattle Storm General Manager: Nathan Eagan

Projection:

Last Season: 68-98, 6th in FLP (tie) Post Season: None Runs Scored: 777 Runs Allowed: 825

New Faces SP Len Caldwell RP Ed Staples

RP Fernando Rivera

Players Gone SP Roberto Ramos

“MATT PLEASE HEAL MY BELOVED JORGE RODRIGUEZ! He can't get hurt for real until May.”

Response to: 2031, Spring Training Sim #1/WCB Prelims

No team crashed to Earth harder last year than the Seattle Storm, as the team’s 94 losses was the third

worst in team history and just the fifth time in 37 seasons the team had lost as many as 90 games. While

the team might be tempted to rebuild the squad, they’re blessed with so much offensive talent that they

may even be able to weather the free agency departure of Roberto Ramos, their de facto #2 starter.

Seattle represents an interesting conundrum: does their reality match their planning? In other words, is

this team still a contender or did last year expose their weaknesses?

Can Juan Escobar Bounce Back From a “Tepid” 2031?

The poster boys for Seattle’s big question of contention is are Juan Escobar and Jorge Rodriguez, two of

the finest players in the history of the game and two surefire first-ballot Hall of Famers. Rodriguez won


the Silver Bat award last year, his first such award since 2025, but his defensive skills have eroded from

age and injuries, and he’s no longer particularly effective against lefthanded pitching. Escobar won a

Sawyer Silk in 2030, but his numbers dropped precipitously last year and he has reportedly lost some of

his otherworldly bat speed. We’d still happily take either guy, but they’re on the wrong side of 30 and

they’re not going to get better at this point.

The good news is that the supporting cast of the Storm is fantastic. Atilio Seabra, Manny Montanez, and

Hector Valentin are all strong offensive performers, though Seabra is now 32 years old. Rookie John

Hickman was a huge performer last year at 20 years old, posting a .900 OPS and promising to get even

better. Their seventh-place finish in offense could move to the top 4 just by random variants, so that

could spell an internal improvement right away.

If the offense is good news, the pitching staff has more questions than answers. Seattle finished just a

hair out of 13th place in pitching last year, and their 4.84 team ERA was their second-worst mark in the

last twenty years. Alfredo Contreras is one of the best young arms in the game and could win a Steve

Nebraska if he gave up 20 homers instead of 40. Craig Browning and Esteban Sanchez stand to improve

just on the basis of reversion to the mean, and the team has one of the best closers in the game in

Esteban Velazquez, but nothing else works all that well for Seattle on the mound.

Seattle is obviously at a crossroads right now, but there’s a light at the end of the tunnel, er, sort of.

While the team will likely pay whatever it takes to retain four-time Sawyer Silk winner Escobar next

year, the rest of the payroll will drop to around $80-$85 million next year and that’s only that high if

Rodriguez doesn’t opt out of his player option for the good of the franchise. They also have ten of the

top 200 prospects. The Storm might not be contenders next year, but their rebuild might not take as long

as their excellent long-term track record would suggest.

Valencia Stars General Manager: Lee Honigsfeld

Projection:

Last Season: 68-94, 6th in FLP (tie) Post Season: None Runs Scored: 672 Runs Allowed: 825

New Faces CF/2B Ivan Castillo

Players Gone SS Pablo Soto

The lumps are coming across the board. My 2030 1st rounder 1B Pepe 'Cha Cha' Quintero had ratings of 8-9-6 only one year later his ratings are 5-8-3, ugh...I really don't have many success over the last 10-12 drafts and now with little depth because my minors are so

dry the team has many years of rebuilding to go.

Valencia Stars: A look back at past number 1 picks # 7

Valencia is beginning to move in the correct direction, but they still have an awfully long way to go.

The team is blessed with one of the finest pitchers in baseball in Mauro Flores and one of its finest

shortstops in Harlan W. Moore, yet the rest of the team is largely so disheveled that it leaves little doubt

about the fate of this ballclub. Fortunately, the team is on an upswing and should be better in due time –

but that time is not now.


Only Indy scored less runs last year than the Stars, and that’s not surprising: the offense is one of the

single worst units of any sort in the BBA. Moore has hit at least .323 in each of the past three seasons

with an apex of .352 last season. Moore is a superstar, though his consistent injuries have made it

difficult to keep him on the field regularly. Ricardo Guzman has settled into a role as solid run producer

after being drafted by the team over a decade ago and has maintained a high level of performance for

four years. The team got reasonable offensive production out of Edgar Leon, but his defense is so bad

he finished below replacement anyway. The team pulled Ivan Castillo off waivers and he’s their best

chance for some surprise offense, plus he’s a much better defensive player at 2B than they had. The

defense is so awful as to defy reason, even moreso when Moore sits.

The rotation has the same story:

it’s basically Mauro Flores and

pray for four snow days. Petro

Struyk has made himself into an

interesting major leaguer, and he

might be a useful rotation member,

but he hasn’t demonstrated it

obviously yet. Ezechiele Marriotto

is a nice name from the past, but he

hasn’t been an effective starter

since the mid-2020s. Fernando

Suarez could be tried in the

rotation, but he’s been effective in

the pen. The bullpen is solid in

spots, but players like Kevin Lee

and Juan Martinez really have no

place on a team this poor.

Valencia made a big step forward

this offseason by dealing away

Pablo Soto to Charm City for top

prospect Wilton Rivera. Rivera,

along with top pick Frank

Mahaffey and Flores and Moore

represent a solid nucleus for the

future, though the above mentioned

massive lumping of Pepe Quintero

is a huge setback. Rebuilding is all

about time horizons and having the

same people mature at the same time, but dealing away Flores is probably a bad idea unless they get an

offer they can’t refuse; he’s exactly the sort of player you’d want to build around. That should be the

mentality in Valencia this year and for at least the next few seasons, as this franchise might be in the

worst shape of any team in the BBA.

Will Kevin Lee Be Tradebait?


Edmonton Jackrabbits General Manager: Rhys Allen

Projection:

Last Season: 70-92, 5th in FLP Post Season: None Runs Scored: 706 Runs Allowed: 872

New Faces SS Ernesto Chavez

Players Gone RP Eddy de Greef

Beating teams that are worse than you is key to winning records, and we've been crap at it.

2031.21 Making the most of little

Edmonton has put away a bunch of bonus cash, and this year they’re dipping into the stash to try and

move their team a little further forward, signing Ernesto Chavez and re-signing Lienhard Zieff on the

open market. With a step forward in win/loss record every single year, Edmonton is trying to gain some

respectability. Will they manage to do it, or are they still doomed to the cellar?

It can be very reasonably argued that nobody had a much worse offense

than the Jackrabbits did last year, though they were better on paper than

four teams. Felix Duarte and Jimmy Strambi combined for a solid OPS in

the middle of the order, and Alain Pichon’s base stealing and Luke Jordan’s

defense led the way in WAR for the team. Mario Murillo continued to hit

home runs, and now has 260 in eleven seasons despite the fact he’s hit for a

league-average OPS just twice. Most players were less than two games

above replacement level with very little upside.

If the offense was poor, the pitching staff is AAA quality. No pitcher on

the staff was as many as two games above replacement, and the best pitcher

on the staff, Edgardo Burin, couldn’t start for anybody else in the BBA.

Taisuke Suzuki has some upside, as does Johnny Morin, but, ultimately,

there isn’t a single pitcher on the staff who’s likely to be pitching for them

when they become a contender. Domingo Ayala is a legitimately excellent

reliever and should probably be traded post haste.

You must think by now that with my panning this team, they have a pretty good farm, and, yes, that’s

true. Bobby Lynch is the #1 prospect in the entire BBA, and a well-deserved status as he’s a potential

superstar, and Luis Costello and Augie Plascencia are two of the most promising young outfielders in

the game today. The team has a few prospects past those three, including the underrated Malcolm

Guesne and future DH candidate Santiago Gonzalez, and based on the team on the field should have

more high draft picks to come.

For now, Edmonton isn’t much of a team. They had it pretty rough as an expansion club, and while they

have some potential future cornerstones in place, they’ll have to be gentle easing them in. The team

could win as many as 75 games this year with good luck, but it looks more like 95+ losses to me.


A Visit to Flight 93 Park

At its core, baseball can be said to be defined by the places in which it’s played. No other major

sport is like it in this fashion, right? Football is played on identical gridirons, or pitches, if you

prefer the international game. Basketball and volleyball on courts. Tennis, the same. No two

baseball fields are the same, though, right? The game plays differently everywhere you find

pitches thrown and line drives hit.

Of course, a baseball stadium is more than its dimensions. Often much, much more. And, let’s

face it, fake baseball stadiums are no different to the crazies who play it. These places are real,

breathing things. So, strap in with me now, while Edward Murphy takes on a tour of what

baseball is like, Iowa style, and in one of the premier parks in the Brewster.

The Des Moines Kernels have been in the “new” Flight 93 Memorial Park

since the 2024 opener. Both the fans and players have settled in and love

the ballpark. The park features 44,971 seats and offers panoramic views of

the Des Moines skyline.


On opening day, back in 2024, the small memorial for Flight

93 opened just inside the gates, first level, behind home plate.

This memorial will provide fans that attend the park today

and decades from now with information on why the park was

originally named Flight 93 Memorial Park. Kernel’s former

key owner, Stephen Collins, was instrumental in the park’s

name. Flight 93 Memorial Park was named in honor of the

people who died trying to regain control of the airplane on

9/11. From time to time ordinary people encounter

unordinary events, for people they don’t know or never have

met; they make the ultimate sacrifice giving up their lives.

Our society needs to remember those individuals from

generation to generation. Flight 93 Memorial Park can help us never forget

their sacrifice and the fateful day on September 11, 2001.

On Sunday day games, children under the age of 12 can run the bases after

the game. Whether the Kernels win or lose, there is always a long line of

excited children waiting their turn to run those bases.

John Deere, one of Flight 93 Memorial

Park’s main sponsors, has sponsored a

number of tractor pull competitions in

the new ball park. The tractor pull

competitions have just as strong of a

fan base as the Kernels.

The fans love to come out to the

ballpark several hours before the game

for the tailgating and partying that goes on in the parking lot surrounding

the park. However, this season has seen the portable toilets in the parking

lot all removed. The Kernels have added permanent restrooms that are only

accessible from the outside of the park to enhance the tailgating

experience. The Kernel’s female fan-base have loved the addition to the

park.


The Kernels added a “Bring your Dog to

the Park Night” in 2028. Kernel’s

designated hitter, Lew Driscoll, was

instrumental in starting the Bring your

Dog to the Park Night. He volunteers at

the Des Moines Humane Society during

the off season. All well behaved dogs

are welcomed. This night has grown

over the past few years. The first year

100 dogs attended. Last year over 300

dogs entered the park with each of them

receiving a special Kernels bandana.

Kernels have added a special doggie

concession stand just for the dogs

attending. The evening is sponsored by

Purina.

Ticket prices, concession prices, and parking have remained the same over

the past few years to keep an evening at the ballpark to be affordable for

families.

The Kernels have also started to sponsor summer baseball camps for local

Des Moines boys and girls between the ages of 10 and 17. The campers

have the opportunity to play in the same park the Kernels play. The

schedule is set up each year once the Kernels road games have been

announced. The campers are usually very surprised when a Kernel

currently on the DL list makes a guest appearance at the camp.

The Kernels keep looking at expanding food and beverage choices at the

ballpark. They have hired chef Jim Carlson, from New York. Chef Carlson

has brought in more unique ballpark items and healthy choices, including

fruit smoothies, salads, and frozen yogurt. However, dollar hot dog nights

still remain a fan favorite. This year, the State Farm Deck located on the

second level, third base side, has become an all you can eat section. The

price of the ticket includes both food and soft drinks. Beer and alcohol is

extra.


On the last game of a home stand, players on the DL list players sign

autographs for fans. The fans have named this autograph alley and it has

become a fan favorite.

The Kernels have set records this year in fan attendance just north of 3.5

million. This is a little surprising as the team is still just slightly over 500.

The fan base has been growing, and win or lose, they love their Kernels.

The entire community has gotten Kernel fever. The team has tried various

promotions that include tickets to both the ballgame and tractor pull, both

the ballgame and county fair, and even both the ballgame and FarmFest.

As a result, the Kernels have also seen an increase in merchandise sales.

The park’s team shops are always busy. During some games, they have

long lines waiting to get in.


Is Expansion Giving Us Our Greatest Offensive Stars?

Four years ago, the Brewster Baseball Association took a defining action, and expanded its

operation, absorbing players in from the European Baseball Association, placing teams in

Edmonton, Phoenix, Baltimore (Charm City), and Minneapolis (Twin Cities). Along the way, it

rejiggered its divisions and modified its playoff format just a touch. Though not without its

controversy, we think it can be said hindsight shows it was a smashing success.

The question at hand, though is this: Did expansion create a new glut of offense? Is it

responsible for some of the numbers we’re seeing? Is expansion giving us our greatest offensive

stars? Madison GM Chris Wilson has stepped up to the plate to take a crack at these questions.

Let’s see what kind of answers he’s got as he mines the past to see what it says about the present.

It wasn't difficult to see that 2031 saw an explosion of young, offensive stars across the Brewster

Baseball Association. No matter what your offensive preference, 2031 likely saw guys litter the

record books with stats. Whether it was hits, homeruns, RBI, stolen bases, or OPS, 2031 saw the

league witness a flurry of talent that the league has never seen before in its history.

Since expansion occurred in 2029, the BBA has begun seeing a steady increase of offensive

power across the leaderboards. Last season alone saw a huge increase in the frequency in which

players showed up on the all-time record boards. Some individuals had all-time great seasons.


Fernando Moreno's season ranked him in the top 10 in OPS and Homeruns and just outside of

that in runs scored. Carlos Gonzalez produced the 5th most homeruns in a season while finishing

3rd in RBI and 15th in OPS. Jared Gillstrom finished the season 18th in hits and 15th in RBI.

You can go up and down the other leaderboards and find several instances of players ranking

very high in 2031. Here are just a few others: Hector Valentin (9th in hits), Steve Dempsey (10th

in hits), Jon Mick (12th in RBI), Alfredo Martinez (11th in runs), Mark Simpson (6th in Walks),

and Mons Raider who broke the single season stolen base record. This is just to name a few. If

you scroll the top 50 in each of the main categories you will see plenty of other names mentioned

from the 2031 season.

Hit it Like It's 1986!

When comparing last season's offensive output against the

history of the league, you'd have to go all the way back to the

mid-late 1980s to find a comparable era to what we are

currently witnessing right now in the league. In 1986, one

name stands above the rest as being a force and that was Long Chamberlain. His 1986 season

was one of the greatest ever. But it wasn't just he that was dominating the leaderboards. Billy

Wilson and Dave Winfield were having some record breaking runs during this span as well.

Randy Spratt and Davis Birch find their names on leaderboards as well. And there may have

been a guy named Sawyer Silk having his way with the offensive leaderboards as well. The great

Steve Collins was also putting up one of, if not his best ever season in 1986. When you look

back at that 1986 season, you'll find that offense exploded across the league. 1986 was the first

season in BBA history where both leagues scored over 10,000 runs with the average runs per

game topping out at 5.2 in the Johnson League and 5.3 in the Frick League. The average team

scored 850 runs in the BBA in 1986. It actually climbed in 1987 with each team averaging 868

runs with 5.3 runs being scored in the JL and 5.4 in the Frick.

The Greatness of the 2000s

If the offense of 2031 continues into the next few years, you'll start seeing the

names of the current players drawing comparison to the stars of the 2000s who

also put up monster individual seasons. I'd be a fool not to say that Bopper

Kengos and Charles Puckett rise to the top of any list when you look at single

seasons and record books. From 2004-2008, Kengos showed up on the hits and

RBI leaderboards several times while Puckett was racking up walks and runs scored. But

those weren't the only stars of that offensive era. For a small

glimmer of time we saw the greatness of Manuel Aguilar in 2003. Douglas Newhouse was

walking and scoring runs at a high rate in the 2000s while Jim Wilson was blasting homeruns.

Unlike the 1986 and 1987 seasons which were the highest scoring years in BBA history per

Puckett

Kengos


average runs per team and per game, the mid 2000s weren't exactly seeing high numbers across

the board. Rather it was just some solid stars that were either emerging or in their prime. In fact

the highest scoring season of that decade didn't come until 2009 when most of the names

mentioned above were already into their 30s in age.

Can We Blame Expansion and Weak Pitching?

One logical explanation to the increase in production that has been thrown out is that pitching

across the board has grown depleted thanks to expansion and the lack of quality pitching to fill

rosters. When looking across the pitching leaderboards to see how many pitchers ranked in the

top 100 in Homeruns, Walks, or Hits allowed in 2031 you will find exactly.... ZERO pitchers

listed. Consequently when you compare it to that 1986 season you will find that the top 3

homeruns allowed seasons by pitchers were in that year led by Roy Raleigh who allowed 60 long

balls that season. In fact 6 of the top 10 homerun allowed seasons were in 1986 and 1987. So the

offensive numbers during the late '80s can perhaps be just as much a part of weak pitching as it

was good hitting. High scoring seasons were the norm from 1986 through 1994, producing 8 of

the top 15 run producing seasons in league history.


Despite the offense explosion we saw from the individuals in 2031, you might be shocked to

learn that the league as a whole did not witness the overall rise in runs scored that it saw in 1986

or even what we saw in the 2000s. While 2031 did see a record number of runs scored in the

league (21,710 to be exact) the average output across the board was only slightly above the

historical average. The average runs scored last year (798 per team/4.9 per game in the JL and

753 per team/4.6 in the FL) are actually on par with what we witnessed the year BEFORE

expansion. The total number of runs scored has obviously grown by leaps because of the addition

of 4 more teams and consequently the extra games being played over a full season. But the

league averages have not seen the growth. When you go by the average runs scored per team last

year, 2031 ranks 22nd in average runs scored per game compared to all of the other seasons in

league history.

Face it! These Guys are Great!

So what all of this babbling means to me is that we are currently witnessing some of the greatest

offensive players the Brewster Baseball Association has ever seen. Rather than trying to dissect

and find the reasons why this is happening, we as fans should just sit back and enjoy the

greatness we are witnessing in the game right now. The incredible offensive seasons we are

seeing from guys like Moreno, Gonzales, and Gillstrom are a testimony to their talent rather than

inflated pitching numbers or weaker staffs made depleted by expansion. Even when you see guys

like Jon Mick, Rupert Grant, or Norris Rutledge emerge with a season that ranks in the tops in an

offensive category, who can rest assured that that player has earned it and it wasn't a by-product

of weak pitching. So if in the next few seasons the name Carlos Gonzales gets lumped into the

same sentence as Jim Wilson or Jared Gillstrom mentioned in the same breath as Sawyer Silk,

don't go laughing it off or make up excuses for the current generation of player. They're great!

And they're going to end up Great!

Just don't go comparing anyone to Puckett or Kengos. At least not yet!


Sure, the BBA is going on 60 years, and it’s surprising that there are some strong, long-term

GMs in the league. But the strength of any organization is its young blood (or it’s fresh meat as

Genius would say). So, what’s it like to join a group like the BBA? Let’s ride along with Rhys

Allen, who helms Edmonton, one of the league’s recent expansion teams, and find out.

Taking the helm. Taking command. Being placed in charge. Assuming the position. Wait, that

last one doesn't belong here...

These are the voyages of a new General Manager. Or at least something like that. It's no easy

task being #1. They say the face of the organization is the guy who hits the home runs, or bats in

the runs, or is the lights out pitcher. Technically that's true. No one buys shirts with the General

Manager's name in any great numbers. They don't tend sell many bobbleheads with his face, and

he's usually blamed when things go wrong, rather than praised when things go right. Or at least

that last depends on the city - after all, in Louisville the team wins despite the manager.


It's important though, to realize that rather than just sitting

here simulating week after week, this league is actually a

living thing.

I've been asked to outline what it takes to become a new General Manager in the Brewster

Baseball Association, more affectionately known as the Brewster. I know, I know, who asks a

manager with 2 years' experience and a rather ugly record line of 135-187 to write a primer on

anything but losing? I guess maybe the rest of the guys were busy or were no longer new

enough. So you're stuck with my musings and you can take them for what they're worth. Truth be

told, I wish I had just one more year's experience as I'd be able to convey some thoughts on

expansion drafting, but I was a little late for that and got saddled with someone else's efforts to

improve upon.

I'd like think it's gone not entirely horribly. I mean, we were better than that guy in year 2, and

improved again in year 3 despite some significant challenges. I think some of that comes down

to some managerial decision-making, and some gets credited to the outstanding play of some of

our players. The rub of it is that things could have been so much better, too. But that's baseball -

things often could have gone differently, for better or worse.

So to kick things off, there's a bit about my current situation - a moderately improved baseball

club that isn't doing so well, but has only been in existence for 3 seasons. Not as good as [fellow

expansion team] Charm City, but not as bad Twin Cities, nor some other longer established

teams.

But let's focus on some practical advice for the new manager. I'd say there are three key things

that are most important:

1) Ask questions.

The folks in the Brewster are incredibly helpful, and much as it might seem contrary, willing to

help each other succeed. Let's not confuse this with not trying to win, because I'll tell you -

everyone here wants a Landis every year. But it is to everyone's benefit to have a competitive,

engaging league, and in that regard, the managers in the BBA are more than willing to share

advice, opinions, and help out where they can. There is no question too stupid to be offered a

helpful answer - trust me, I asked lots of them.

2) Read up

Read the Constitution. Read the rules. Read

them again. Read the forums. Scan all the

stats. Scan the history. Scan and read as

much as you can. Some of the managers

here (ahem Ron Collins ahem) make managing here seem a little involved, but you don't need

200+ team news posts to be a successful, contributing manager, nor to have fun. It's wonderful

that we have GM's like Ron, and a commish like Matt, but there's being active and engaged, and

then there's being active and engaged. As long as you are immersing yourself in the league and

contributing, you will be a successful (though not necessarily winning) manager.

3) Try things.

Just because you have Steve Nebraska (look him up) doesn't mean you are going to win. Ok, I

guess you means you have a pretty good chance of winning, but just nailing down that one good


If you're only in it to win, you're likely not

going to enjoy yourself very much though

when the pendulum swings the other way.

I'd suggest that enjoying the league itself

is your biggest key to success.

player isn't enough. You need to experiment. You need to have players that fit not only your

park, but the players around them. Occasionally, you need them in places you didn't think. That

guy you signed to hit dingers for the middle of the order may be better served in the lead-off

spot, because you have someone complementary, and the new guy is actually hitting better at the

top. Who knows? I guess this one is more of a general tip, than a New BBA Manager tip, but I

think it's an important one. You aren't playing against the AI, if that's all you knew.

Oh, right, I forgot … feel free to trade. It's not easy, and you won't always find something

worthwhile, but it never hurts to talk! I've seen to some crazy good deals go down between a

team in a need and someone just looking to shed some salary or some other situation.

So those are just some basic foundational important items, from my perspective.

It's important though, to realize that rather than just sitting here simulating week after week, this

league is actually a living thing. There are lots of active managers posting team updates, asking

questions, creating polls, discussing non-BBA related things, etc... Being part of the community

is at least half the fun. While it's a bit of a time commitment, it's a rewarding one. You'll note

from my own Edmonton forums that the team news was rolling along, my posts in other threads

was up, I was super active. It's a ton of fun. But occasionally life hits and you have to take a

break for one reason or another. Even the prolific Ron Collins had a down-season when I first

joined. People get busy. Other people pick up in the meantime. This all combines to make this

league a fascinating thing.

Amongst all of that, you still have to manage your team! Maybe

you lucked out and you've got a team one top of the world, or

near it, and you just need a few tweaks to nail a Landis your first

season here. Maybe you're just taking over a new expansion

team as I did (in its second year, as I mentioned earlier).

Regardless your situation, every manager has a different

approach. You might lose a lot of games. You might win a lot of

games. If you're only in it to win, you're likely not going to

enjoy yourself very much though when the pendulum swings the other way. I'd suggest that

enjoying the league itself is your biggest key to success. But even in that everyone has their own

approach.

As an example, my first trade in the league was, in hindsight (and straight for those who had

been playing for a while) pretty terrible. Especially the way I managed it afterwards. In my

defence, it had been a long time since I'd played OOTP, and jumping back into online play right

away was probably not the smartest idea for solid decision-making. No one ever accused me of

being that bright though. In any case, in my experience, young pitchers often busted and giving

them up wasn't always the end of the world. That was several versions ago and things have

changed since then though. The guy I gave up is likely to be a solid contributor now, and the guy

I got in exchange has been sitting on my bench playing second fiddle to a guy I picked up

relatively cheap for his skills. I suppose it's a little embarrassing, but it could have easily gone in

my favour with that pitcher lumping and being next to worthless.

I've also picked up a shortstop who was supposed to spell me for a few years, who has turned out

to be next to garbage offensively, and not as good as he should be defensively either.


Both these things are frequent for many managers. While you can avoid this in offline play to

some extent, even without cheating, you need to be able to stomach these losses if you want to

enjoy yourself in the BBA. Because just as often (ok maybe not just as often but you get the

idea) you'll pick up some guy as a fringe player only for him to go on and have a year or two of

amazing ball. You'll think you're a genius then (just ask Genius).

As you make these successes and failures, you'll learn the league, you'll learn the other GMs, and

you'll hopefully have fun. I certainly hope I've used that word enough, because I personally think

that's the best part of the BBA, is that it's fun. Lots of fun.

It's a good thing I don't have an editor or a true publisher, as I think they'd have had me re-start

around the first paragraph, and this has meandered a tiny bit, but I'm fairly confident the main

message got across about enjoying yourself. It's the best advice I can give.

Okay, Meat. Think you got the chops? Think you can handle the heater and the curve and Ted’s

dissertations on WAR? Here’s your chance Meat. Serve it on up:

Application: http://montybrewster.net/application-2/

http://montybrewster.net/application-2/


Toward the end of the season, the Madison Wolves’ news service, That’s What

Cheesehead put out a release with the title “Speed Kills.” As could be expected, the

story focused on Mons Raider, who became the first base stealing to pilfer over 100

bases in thirty-one years, and a suite of other swift stealers the Wolves fielded.

For his success, Raider was elevated to a front-runner position for Rookie of the

Year.

"We are definitely a running team" said General Manager Chris Wilson. "You have

to do what you have to do and use your strengths to their best ability. While stealing

bases is an obvious risk, we seem to be successful more than we're not so we'll keep

using it."

And, use it they did. But they were not the only one. To put it mildly, there was something in

the water in 2031.

Raider raided, yes he did.

Vancouver unleashed Frenchy Cordova, and Aloysius Gonzaga, and

Las Vegas let Alex Rodriguez loose. For a while it looked like all four of

them were going to crack 100. But it didn’t stop there.

The runs were catching, and as much as pitchers tried to vaccinate

against them taking off, and as often as catchers threw runners out (which

stayed at about 66% across the league), guys were taking off and running

like they had just finished a batch of Granny’s “special’ ex-lax brownies.

How much did teams run in 2031? Let’s put it this way…in 2016, the

Yellow Springs Nine stole 284 bases, which had been the most ever from

any BBA team.

After 2031, that Yellow Springs season stands as 6th.

You saw that right.

Five teams beat the record.

On top of that, six more teams topped what used to be the second highest total in history.

This is an amazing thing, when you think of it. Of the top dozen stolen base team-seasons in

league history, 11 of them happened last season.

Huntsville’s 2031 total of 241 doesn’t make the list, but if they had been done any other year

that total would have been the second highest ever.

So, is this truly a new era? Will we see steals go the way of the dodo bird once again?

Sometime. Sure. Probably. But we’re guessing it won’t be in the near future.

At least not until someone finds a way to throw out Mons Raider.

Rookie Mons Raider

Introduced a New

Era of Speed

2031 Vancouver -363

2031 Montreal - 354 2031 Jacksonville – 324

2031 Brooklyn - 320

2031: Charm City - 310

2031: Madison - 293

2031: Las Vegas - 286

2016 Yellow Springs – 284

2031: Des Moines -281

2031: Twin Cities - 263

2031: California - 262

2031: Omaha - 246 Top Stolen Base Seasons


It’s hard to believe, but the Brewster Baseball Association is now celebrating 60 years of action!

To celebrate this milestone, we were able to sit down with the venerable founder of the league,

Montgomery Brewster himself. Now 93 years old, Brewster is still heavily involved in the league

behind the scenes, but his public appearances have been few and far in between in recent years.

We asked Brewster, who refers to himself “as the biggest baseball fan in the world”, to lend us

his wisdom in an effort to name All-Decade teams for our 60th Anniversary. He was more than

happy to oblige. Only one rule- players were not allowed to be named twice, no matter how good

they were in multiple decades (see Nebraska, Steve and Puckett, Charles for example). Let’s see

how he did.

The 1970’s

Team- Washington Bobwhites

“Washington was one hell of a team back then. They were run by a cocky kid named Allen Rainey who thought he was an amazing General Manager. Not to say he wasn’t, but it sure didn’t hurt having Steve Nebraska pitch every fifth day.” C- Rube Baker

“One hell of a defensive catcher, but he was a huge power hitter as well. I find it amazing that a player like Rube bounced around so much (7 team changes in 9 year career). 1B- Bombo Vadabonceour

“He burst on the scene in 1976 and was such a consistent hitter over the years, and a really smart player as well.” 2B- Hayfu Sobah

“Too bad he had such a short career (he was 30 when the league began), but the voters got it right by putting him in the Hall of Fame anyhow. Just think of the numbers he would have put up if we didn’t miss his prime years. A really important player who gets overlooked frequently.” 3B- Jon McNecirty

“Year in, year out you could count on him to hit at least .280 and hit 25+ homers. A lot of folks these days who bag on


some of the earlier players in the Hall of Fame don’t understand just how skewed the league was towards pitching in the first couple of decades.”

SS- Sanderson Roosevelt

“Like Sobah, he was 30 when the league started so he got robbed of some prime years. Still, in the time he did play he was an outstanding shortstop, had pop at the plate, and was blazing fast. I’m not afraid to say he was the most underrated player of the 1970’s.”

LF- Joe Gillstrom

“So we have the Gillstrom Award named after this guy, but how many of the current players, fans and even team executives know about this guy? Big rookie year in 1973, and then a three year peak run that can’t be matched in this decade. The original truly feared hitter in our league.” CF- Sam Hell

“First of all, what a great name! I thought he was shitting around with me when I first met him! Another of these Hall of Famers from the 70’s whose careers were cut short by no fault of their own, he was 29 when the league started. Still managed to win four Zimmer Awards and get four All-Star selections. His career evolution was interesting, where in the early thirties he was more of a defensive first player, upon getting back to Seattle in his mid to late thirties he became a .300/25 homer type. You don’t see that too much.” RF- Elroy Futon

“Thirty one years old when we started. Elroy was the best natural hitter I’d ever seen at the time. If he was playing now he’d probably hit .400 every year. And after a Hall of Fame playing career he went on to have a Hall of Fame managing career with the Hustlers as well. He was truly the “Mr. Baseball” of our early years, and a huge part of our fledgling league gaining traction among fans.”

SP- Steve Nebraska

“What can I say about Steve except to say that there will never be another pitcher like him. Fourteen Pitcher of the Year Awards? Of course we named the award after him. 382 wins. 6156 strikeouts. 53 shutouts. These numbers can never be approached.”

RP- Damon Lombardi

“Year in, year out when Lombardi came in you knew the Crusaders were going to win. Apologies to Schmidt Meyer here who may have had higher highs, but Lombardi was enduring.”


The 1980’s

Team- Baltimore Monarchs

“Four Landis Memorial Series in a row is an amazing feat. Winning two of them if just as impressive. These Monarchs teams were amazing, a beautiful balance of pitching led by J.R. Riles, Jr. and Mark Bobovnik, and hitting led by Steve Collins and the most underrated player of All-Time in my opinion -- doubles maching Emile Santos who played right field. Brian Miller was the GM who built the team, we all called him “Brian The Stunt Bum” and the man was not only a brilliant baseball mind, but one of the funniest and wittiest men I ever worked with.” C- Billy Wilson

“We hadn’t seen consistent power like this yet, and from a catcher nonetheless was spectatular. He hit 50 or more homers five times, once hitting 63 in a year. I always love to see guys spend their entire careers with one team, and Wilson was the first in a string of guys who were able to do that during this era. Amazing player.” 1B- Randy Spratt

“He came up with Omaha in 1978 and for his first few years he was a .340 hitter with limited power. No one saw what was about to come. His 1981 season remains one of the best All-Time seasons by a hitter. He hit .395. THREE-NINETY-FIVE!!! Then he contined on to not only hit for a huge average but develop 30-40 homer pop. Smart player who was a slam dunk Hall of Famer.”

2B- Ryoko Masaki

“Don’t get fooled by Wilson and Spratt, this still was not a power hitting era. Why is Masaki in the Hall of Fame? 2574 hits in 2082 career games work for you? Career .326 average work for you? He was so good, and so consistent. It’s not always about all of these counting stats. He was the best second baseman of the decade, and there’s no argument about it.”

3B- Benjamin Caldwell

“Everyone feared this guy when he came to the plate. He wouldn’t hit you with a lot of homer power, but he could hit the gaps and do damage. He won the MVP Award in 1981 with just 11 homers and 78 RBI, but he did so many things great. A lot like Futon in that regard, with a longer career. It was too bad he couldn’t hang on just a bit longer to reach 3000 hits (he ended with 2921).”

SS- Donnie Rotten

“A power hitting shortstop? This wasn’t an everyday thing in the early days. In many ways he was a trend setter. So dependable and durable. Omaha really hit the jackpot by having both Rotten and Spratt in this decade.”

LF- Steve Collins

“Earlier I said Futon was the best natural hitter I’d seen at the time. I was careful to say at the time because Collins is the greatest pure contact hitter who has ever played the game. The man hit over .400 twice. TWICE! He was to hitting what Nebraska was to


pitching. I’ve often said maybe we should have named the MVP Award after him, but I don’t want to slight the next guy on our list…”

CF- Sawyer Silk

“There’s a reason why Silk’s name is on our MVP Award. Six straight years with an OPS over 1.000, two of them were over 1.100. Remember, this was a time when pitching ruled the roost. It’d be easy to look at his total career and wonder what the big deal is about, but you have to look at the peak years. Absolutely mind boggling.”

RF- Long Chamberlain

“Speaking of peak years! This was the hardest pick on the list for me. John Bockus is a Hall of Famer as well and he had a long stretch of excellence. At the end of the day I had to go with Chamberlain for a number of reasons. When he came up as a 19 year old in 1983 and hit 19 homers in 361 at-bats, a lot of people thought he’d be a really good player. Over the next four seasons he was much, much more than that. He was the transcendent player of his generation. His 1986 season still remains the penultimate power season of All-Time (.314/.396/.786/1.182, 73 HR, 182 RBI). You know the famous quote- ‘It’s better to burn out than fade away?’ Chamberlain’s star burned brighter than most, and despite him being a .220 hitter for the last seven years of his career, he still has 560 career homers and a .913 OPS. Might be the most unique player in our league history.”

SP- John Ross Riles, Jr.

“So, I have to pick someone other than Nebraska here? I could have gone with Bobovnik as well, but Riles, Jr. gets the nod. His 287 wins are the second most All-Time. What a one-two punch the Monarchs had. He’d go on to be dominant through most of the nineties as well.”

RP- Gunga Oogolagunga

“Most people have a beef with Gunga being in the Hall of Fame. I love it. He was such a dominator out of the pen. Sure, he’d have his meltdowns. One of the big things I point to when people complain about his 4.35 career ERA is that is FIP is 3.79. How many closers have 425 saves and 1022 strikeouts? He belongs. Put it to rest. Want to start another debate? I’ve got a beef with all of you Hall of Fame voters- why don’t you start giving closers a little more respect!”


The 1990’s

Team- Chicago Black Sox

“Four LMS appearances and three titles, including the first two of what we know call the ‘Modern Era’ (1995, 1996). Of course they had Henry Jones, who we all called ‘The Natural’, but that was a team with a lot of great players. Resurrection Santos was their sparkplug, Richard Wasson is yet another highly underrated closer who didn’t get his due, and Chet Steadman was a dominating pitcher for them. The irony was they were largely a team without a captain at the outset of the Modern Era, but Mike Giovacchini came in during the 1995 season and became a great GM in our league.” C- Hurley Reyes

“The Hall of Fame debate has already been had regarding Reyes. I think the voters ultimately probably got it right, he was just on the outside. He was a really solid backstop for a long time though, and his years with Madison in the late nineties were the best of his career by far.” 1B- Ted Sale

“Consistent power hitter with average. He knew how to draw a walk and unlike most power guys he didn’t strike

out much. For a while Long Beach tried to play him in left field. That was uncomfortable.” 2B- Rob Van Winkle

“I gotta hand it to the Hall of Fame voters last year. RVW was given another chance to get in and everyone recognized that he belonged. Not only was he a great natural hitter, he could play every infield position with aplomb, and he was a threat on the basepaths as well. I heard he was into music off the field. Can’t say I ever heard any of his work.”

3B- Henry Jones

“Ah, ‘The Natural’. Great during the late eighties as well, we put him on the nineties team because he has two of his best seasons in 1990 and 1992, also it allowed us to sneak Caldwell onto an All-Decade team. He was a no brainer to the Hall of Fame despite only hitting .258 for his career. I wonder if he’d be elected today.”

SS- Rafael Rodriguez

“He was often dubbed ‘The Greatest Right-Handed Hitter Ever’ by Aaron Weiner. It’s hard to dispute. 3520 career hits as a righty is exceptional. Like RVW, he could play all four infield spots and did so at elite levels.”

LF- Johnnie Iraq

“After overcoming a big injury that cost him most of 1996, Iraq was one of the most explosive players in the game in the late nineties, and then well into the next decade.”

CF- Ross White

“I know, he only played three years in the nineties...but look at how incredible those three years were! Perhaps the best three year start of a player in our history.”


RF- Morris Pennebaker

“T-Rex, man, now that’s a power hitter. He’s a lot like Hank Aaron from the old MLB, only hit 50 homers one, but played for a long time, ended up with 704 career homers and 3009 hits.” SP- Jay Lee

“Jay was a throwback pitcher. As the league evolved to five man rotations and more offense, Jay was still dealing like guys before him. 300 strikeouts in a season twice in his six full seasons in the nineties.” RP- Gil Daniels

“Another pitcher that clearly should have gotten a better look for the Hall of Fame. He started his career as a fairly decent starter, then became an amazing workhorse reliever in the late eighties and 1990, appearing in 100+ games for four straight seasons. Then he closed for the next five years, one of the best closers in the game. There’s very few to have a resume like that with three different roles and excelling in all three of them.”

The 2000’s

Team- Las Vegas Hustlers

“Six Landis appearances and five titles. There’s no team in league history to match that run. Of course they had the two Hall of Fame starters in Chris Stoller and Davey Acheson and then you add another four HOF’ers in Donald Nobaru , Ross White , Roman Empire and Jake Urban to go along with one of the more underrated catchers of All-Time in Roark Dempsey- now that was a juggernaut.” C- Jeremy Hunter

“Best all-around catcher in league history. The 2000’s featured the top two catchers of All-Time when you think of Dexter Sheehan as well.” 1B- Paul Barfoot

“Paul was always a great player, but once he got to Long Beach and out from behind the plate his career really took off. 3235 hits and 537 homers are astounding numbers.” 2B- Charles Puckett

“So we already talked about Collins being the best pure contact hitter that ever lived. Puckett was every bit the contact hitter that Collins was throughout most of his carer, but also one of the top power hitters in the game. Mix that in with his versatility between second base and third base (and

some shortstop when rarely needed), Puckett is the best overall player this old man has had the pleasure of watching play ball. Special shout-out to Douglas Newhouse who will always, unfortunately, be in the shadow of Puckett.”


3B- Rogelio Morales

“A left-handed throwing third baseman? Not only did he pull it off, he posted a +84.1 ZR at the hot corner throughout his 2402 games played there. Did I mention he was a pure hitting machine? 604 homers and his .316 career average is actually slightly higher than Puckett.”

SS- Bopper Kengos

“It amazes me that Madison was able to have both Puckett and Bopper on the same team, and it’s unbelievable they were able to keep them together for so long. He followed the Pennebaker track to the All-Time Home Run Crown, never hitting more than 48 in a year but ending up with 720 in an amazing career. Never mind the fact that he couldn’t, or wouldn’t, take a walk. Still a great hitter and perfect fit with Cricket. Most people forget that he was an incredible talent at shortstop. 2982 games played there and, get this, +251.7 ZR.”

LF- Daniel Labrie

“The first Labrie. He was an amazing hitter, like no Baltimore team had seen since Collins. He had power, too, finishing with 374 homers. He walked like no other- 1728 career walks and a .440 OBP. He was an awful fielder, though, but his hitting allowed us to look past that. CF- Armando Santos

“Four seasons in the 2000’s with an OPS over 1.000. 824 career steals. 1523 career runs. An outstanding center fielder. For some reason it took the voters a long time to realize he was in a class of his own and get him into the Hall.” RF- Rex Bell

“This one is a bit out of left field, or in this case right field (haha). I was surprised when Bell was the clear cut choice here as well...we simply don’t talk about him amongst the greats. One of the best sluggers of the decade, though; that can’t be denied. Always defensively challenged.”

SP- Christopher Stoller

“Absolutely dominated the nineties. A bulldog who had 151 complete games, extremely out of character for his era. He was a throwback pitcher. It was strange that he just lost it after his 35 year old season. A lot of folks think the Hustlers threw him too many innings for too long and it caught up to him (259+ innings for eight straight years). I bet that given their success in the decade the team and the player would do it all over again. He has the fifth most wins of all time and the most complete games, second only to Nebraska in shutouts. Stellar career.”

RP- Jason Egan

“The gold standard for all relievers. His 753 career saves is another record that might never be broken. So good, in fact, that despite being a reliever the voters couldn’t help but elect him to the Hall.”


The 2010’s

Team- New Orleans Crawdads

“They gave the Hustlers of the previous decade a run for their money. Four trips to the Landis, four titles. Jim Roberts is the master of building from within. Seemed like they just kept coming up with studs every season. Offensively it was really just mix and match other than Bartolo Melendez and maybe Al Jones (both HOF’ers), though Joey Rosko seemed like he was going to be a star for a while before fizzling out. The real story was pitching- led by Jimmy McCabe and his three Nebraska Awards, and Carlos Altavista who was one of the best closers in history.” C- Jason Dunn

“Mr. Valencia Stars. Dunn is still trying to hang on after signing with Halifax, but he’ll go into the Hall as a Star and that’s something Valencia has waited a long time for.” 1B- Alberto Guzman

“Legendary High School Player, who quickly reached the big leagues and became an absolute powerhouse for the Surfers. Not a lot of teams can claim two Hall of Famers at the same position, but with Sale and Guzman this is one of those anomolies.”

2B- Eric Martin “Martin played like Masaki in the eighties, man. He wasn’t a difference maker on offense

like some of these other guys, but he held his own. At the end of the day he is arguably the best defensive second baseman we’ve seen, and the voters went outside of their comfort zone in electing him to the Hall.”

3B- Trey Williams

“Elite defender at third, and a phenomenal hitter who got everything out of his ability. Despite only hitting 20 or more homers twice in his career, he drove in more than 100 runs six times. That’s hard to do. Elite gap power with 577 career doubles.”

SS- Doug Glover

“Incredible defensively, primarily at shortstop but also at third and second bases when he had to. He’ll be remembered for his amazing power, though. I find it incredible that he did what he did with really pretty poor plate discipline (480/2036 BB/K for his career).

LF- Juan Garcia

“I’ll cheat a little here in the outfield. Garcia technically played 38 more games in center field, and most of his left field games came in the 2020’s. But he and the next guy both deserve to be on this team. Outstanding peak seasons in this decade, unfortunately he faded out after his age 34 season even though he was still a contributor.”

CF- Juan Heredia


“Even though most of his peak offensive seasons came in the previous decade, I wanted to get him on this list. His career was was mostly defined by his incredible defense at any rate. He once had a +41.8 ZR in center field, and ended with a total of +274 ZR at his primary position.”

RF- Martin Felix

“Pure hitter and a good right fielder with a plus arm. I got a sneak peek at this year’s Hall of Fame Voting results and I’m frankly disappointed with the response for him. He’s one of the best to play his position.”

SP- Mike Swanson

“He looked like the Modern Era edition of Nebraska in his twenties. 2017 was going to be his huge breakout season, he was at 8-3, 1.79 ERA with 9 BB and 151 K’s (that’s not a typo) when he got injured. Came back strong and had a run of seven really strong seasons. Then at age 33 he started to fade out, and was out of the league the next year. I think it’s interesting that a pitcher of his caliber never won 20 games in a season, not once.”

RP- Jonathan Sorensen

“Year after year, ‘Snuffy’ was one of the top closers in the league. He kept going and going, which was really fun to watch when he saved 31 games at age 40 for Calgary in 2023. Another great reliever who didn’t get a sniff of the Hall.”

The 2020’s

Team- Huntsville Phantoms

“Toughest call of any of the decades. Eight different franchises

won a title in the twenties. Huntsville was the only one to win two. They’ll be remembered mostly for their controversial but innovative GM Kyle Stever. Fernando Moreno is well on his way to the Hall; how many GM’s have fleeced Matt Rectenwald like Stever did in that deal (he got Moreno for an aging Bartolo Melendez and Alfredo Chavez )? Chris Workman came up with the Phantoms and became their impact player, Stever later fleeced Havana to get another future Hall of Famer in Hunter Eisenhower to play third base. While Huntsville didn’t have a true ace, Stever always insisted Luis Freitas was indeed one; meanwhile they kept coaxing career years out of a mix of pitchers. For example, in 2025 Jose De La Cruz won 22 games for them (he’s won a total of 43 in the six seasons since). The Phantoms biggest strength was their bullpen, headlined by the dominant combination of closer Bob Sanderson and set-up man Reynaldo Garza .


C- Elroy Hinson

“Still amazes me how long it took voters to realize that his father was a no-brainer

member of the Hall. If you compare the careers of Riley and Elroy, and adjust for eras, they are amazingly similar. Dad was a better defender, Son is a better overall hitter. They’ll both be together in the Hall someday.”

1B- Juan Escobar

“Do we as fans just take Escobar for granted at this point? His ‘down year’ of 2031 is still an amazing year, yet the fan in me wonders why he didn’t have another Silk Award season. He won four of the five previous years (finishing second the year he didn’t win). Despite that, it seems like Escobar is an underappreciated superstar. He’s just 31 years old and look at his place in history already. 2nd best average of All-Time (Collins), 6th best OPS of All-Time (Editors Note: Without peeking, do you know who’s currently #1 going into the 2032 season? Answer at the end of the article.) I even used a tool from my deal old friend Bill James called ‘The Favorite Toy’ to check his chances to break the All-Time Hits Record (3990, Bopper Kengos).

Based on his age, your player can be expected to play for 6 more years, at an average of 208.3 per year. At

that rate, he will finish at 3614 for his career. He has a 27 percent chance to reach 3990. 2B- Juan Pablo

“Pablo, to me, is all about consistency. Now he’ll probably end his career with more games as a first baseman, but he played second base for the majority of this decade and while he wasn’t the best defender there he wasn’t a disaster either. Solid, solid player.”

3B- Diego Moreno

“Easily the best third base defender of All-Time. He makes it look easy out there. He’s been a pretty decent offensive player too, for the record.”

SS- Jonathan Archer

“One of the most influential team leaders we’ve seen. When I think of a ‘Captain’, I think of Archer. Outstanding defensive shortstop, excellent hitter despite not being a great on-base guy. He’s hanging around, with 2670 hits it doesn’t look like he’s going to make it to 3000 but stranger things have happened.”

LF- Mike Love

“First thing that pops in my head when I think of this guy is that he was the perfect complimentary hitter in any lineup. He’s been a bit of a vagabond, hasn’t he? (played for nine teams). Great leader and team player with an extraordinary work ethic. What most people forget is that he was an incredible defensive left fielder.”

CF- Leon Sandcastle

“A lot of people have this perception that Sandcastle is always injured. It really just seems that way for whatever reason. He’s played in 110 or more games in every season of his career. He’s simply one of the best players to ever grace our fields.”

RF- Jorge Rodriguez

“The shadow that Escobar casts is a pretty large one. It makes it easy to forget that in the early years of this decade, Rodriguez was the guy winning all the Silk Awards. Too bad the Storm never


could figure out some pitching, because a club with those two guys in the meat of their order should have won something.”

SP- Ricardo Diaz

“Diaz was the clear choice here, but I will say that when I did some research I was surprised by how close it was between him and Billy Chapel, Jr. for the nod. It’s hard to overlook Diaz’s three Nebraska Awards. Like Swanson, Diaz has never won 20 games in a season. Unlike Swanson, Diaz has never missed a turn in the rotation since 2020 (409 starts).

RP- Skip Glendenning “It’s amazing just how dominant this guy was throughout his career and yet he is 220

career saves behind Egan. That really puts Egan’s record into perspective, given how amazing Glendenning was. He’ll give Valencia another Hall of Famer when he decides he’s done.”


Hall of Fame Voting

Another year of Hall of Fame voting is now officially in the books. 26 of 28 potential voters

submitted a ballot, and as always there were wide ranging opinions.

This year 598 points were needed for election into the Hall of Fame.

We are pleased to announce the election of two Brewster Baseball Association Greats in 2032.

Manny Bautista , SP, Las Vegas Hustlers Nickname: “Little Bull” 2017-2025; 2031, Las Vegas Hustlers 2025-2028, Hawaii Tropics 2029, Louisville Sluggers 2030, Phoenix Talons Career: 192-100, 436 G, 396 GS, 2 SV, 3.27 ERA, 2681.2 IP, 2524 H, 556 BB, 2134 K, 1.15 WHIP, 62.5 WAR, 137 ERA+ Drafted: 2015 (1st Round, 4th Overall) by the Las Vegas Hustlers All-Star: 2018, 2019, 2020, 2023, 2028 Zimmer Award: 2028 Landis Titles: 2025 (Hawaii)

Bautista was one of the most electric left-handed starting pitchers of his era. He was the picture of consistency throughout his twenties and early thirties. Unfortunately, like many of his contemporaries, his career fizzled out far too early and he was out of the league at age 35. He was a quiet, hard-working player who may not have been the smartest pitcher in the league but made up for it with his outstanding stuff.

CAREER PITCHING STATS Year/Team/League Age G GS W L SV ERA IP HA R ER HR BB K CG SHO WHIP BABIP FIP WAR ERA+

2017 Las Vegas - BBA 21 32 0 2 0 2 3.79 54.2 41 23 23 5 15 59 0 0 1.02 .279 2.86 1.1 110

2018 Las Vegas - BBA 22 30 30 16 4 0 3.17 193.1 187 72 68 17 54 182 2 0 1.25 .326 3.47 4.2 131

2019 Las Vegas - BBA 23 32 31 13 10 0 2.87 219.1 189 75 70 12 36 220 3 0 1.03 .294 2.52 7.9 145

2020 Las Vegas - BBA 24 28 28 19 3 0 2.65 187.0 153 60 55 6 23 181 0 0 0.94 .289 2.14 7.6 154

2021 Las Vegas - BBA 25 22 22 14 3 0 2.21 146.2 121 41 36 8 18 133 0 0 0.95 .278 2.48 5.0 178

2022 Las Vegas - BBA 26 33 33 16 7 0 2.73 220.2 210 71 67 14 32 206 1 0 1.10 .313 2.70 6.9 147

2023 Las Vegas - BBA 27 33 33 14 6 0 2.33 227.2 183 66 59 15 26 192 0 0 0.92 .267 2.73 6.9 170

2024 Las Vegas - BBA 28 33 33 17 11 0 4.11 212.2 202 119 97 33 57 148 0 0 1.22 .264 4.67 1.2 99

2025 Hawaii - BBA 29 20 20 13 2 0 1.83 137.1 107 31 28 6 24 92 0 0 0.95 .249 2.94 3.8 219

2025 Las Vegas - BBA 29 12 12 5 6 0 5.59 66.0 80 42 41 11 24 54 0 0 1.58 .350 4.85 0.2 71

2025 Total - BBA 29 32 32 18 8 0 3.05 203.1 187 73 69 17 48 146 0 0 1.16 .282 3.56 3.8 130

2026 Hawaii - BBA 30 32 32 14 7 0 3.05 209.1 179 78 71 14 60 184 0 0 1.14 .285 3.21 5.1 133

2027 Hawaii - BBA 31 32 32 11 6 0 3.99 205.1 231 105 91 19 43 153 0 0 1.33 .330 3.63 4.0 103

2028 Hawaii - BBA 32 33 32 14 11 0 2.58 216.1 183 68 62 15 51 144 1 0 1.08 .260 3.50 5.3 171

2029 Louisville - BBA 33 32 32 18 10 0 3.69 229.1 239 108 94 26 43 133 3 0 1.23 .293 4.13 3.1 112

2030 Phoenix - BBA 34 28 26 5 14 0 6.50 151.0 214 112 109 18 50 51 2 0 1.75 .346 5.15 0.3 65

2031 Las Vegas - BBA 35 4 0 1 0 0 5.40 5.0 5 3 3 2 0 2 0 0 1.00 .214 7.50 -0.2 82

Total BBA

436 396 192 100 2 3.27 2681.2 2524 1074 974 221 556 2134 12 0 1.15 .294 3.36 62.5 137

http://montybrewster.net/MBBA/OOTPFiles/lgreports/news/html/history/team_year_22_2017.html










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Steve Hoffman , SP, Halifax Hawks Nickname: “Horse” 2011-2013, California Crusaders 2013-2017, Omaha Barnstormers 2017-2019, Halifax Hawks 2020, Yellow Springs Nine 2021-2022, Buffalo Bison 2022, 2026, Las Vegas Hustlers 2022-2024, Birmingham Bandits 2024, Huntsville Phantoms 2025, Valencia Stars 2027, Havana Sugar Kings

2028, Madison Wolves 2029, Indy Grasshoppers Career: 184-132, 470 G, 416 GS, 5 SV, 3.48 ERA, 2962.2 IP, 2943 H, 722 BB, 2547 K, 43 CG, 7 SHO, 1.24 WHIP, 69 WAR, 131 ERA+ Drafted: 2011 (1st Round, 1st Overall) by the California Crusaders All-Star: 2014, 2017, 2018, 2021, Gillstrom Award: 2013 Nebraska Award: 2017 Landis Titles: 2017 (Halifax) Hoffman was undoubtedly one of the most talented pitchers of his era. He nearly singlehandedly led the Halifax Hawks to their 2017 Landis Title by going an incredible 16-0 en route to the Nebraska Award after being acquired from Omaha. Steve was the ultimate competitor, challenging hitters and going deep into games. Even though he was able to stay in the game until he was 40 years old, his career was marked by injury after injury. Major injuries in his career included a torn labrum (2011), radial nerve decompression surgery (2012), elbow strain (2016), partially torn ulnar collateral ligament (2020), and ulnar nerve irritation (2026). Fans and voters alike chose to remember him at the top of his game, and tip their cap to him for the effort he gave throughout his career even though he was rarely at complete health.

CAREER PITCHING STATS Year/Team/League Age G GS W L SV ERA IP HA R ER HR BB K CG SHO WHIP BABIP FIP WAR ERA+

2011 California - BBA 22 2 2 2 0 0 3.14 14.1 16 7 5 0 4 14 0 0 1.40 .356 2.12 0.7 143

2012 California - BBA 23 5 5 3 0 0 2.10 34.1 27 8 8 0 15 28 0 0 1.22 .273 2.91 1.1 209

2013 Omaha - BBA 24 13 13 7 2 0 2.13 97.0 80 23 23 5 19 95 2 1 1.02 .288 2.89 3.4 216

2013 California - BBA 24 20 20 11 7 0 4.04 133.2 138 66 60 9 30 116 2 0 1.26 .323 3.31 3.7 109

2013 Total - BBA 24 33 33 18 9 0 3.24 230.2 218 89 83 14 49 211 4 1 1.16 .310 3.14 7.3 142

2014 Omaha - BBA 25 34 34 15 9 0 3.65 253.2 259 109 103 31 54 247 1 0 1.23 .320 3.80 5.8 125

2015 Omaha - BBA 26 33 33 14 10 0 2.63 229.0 188 78 67 17 52 227 3 0 1.05 .279 3.08 6.8 165

2016 Omaha - BBA 27 22 22 14 3 0 3.32 173.2 158 64 64 15 34 156 5 0 1.11 .300 3.28 4.6 130

2017 Omaha - BBA 28 12 12 6 4 0 2.16 91.2 78 26 22 3 10 88 4 2 0.96 .301 2.11 3.9 193

2017 Halifax - BBA 28 22 22 16 0 0 2.57 168.1 145 51 48 9 31 178 0 0 1.05 .308 2.43 6.5 166

2017 Total - BBA 28 34 34 22 4 0 2.42 260.0 223 77 70 12 41 266 4 2 1.02 .305 2.32 10.2 172

2018 Halifax - BBA 29 35 35 19 11 0 3.28 266.1 274 103 97 19 56 247 11 1 1.24 .333 3.01 7.8 129

2019 Halifax - BBA 30 36 36 16 16 0 3.56 257.2 277 117 102 21 41 227 4 1 1.23 .331 3.10 7.3 120

2020 Yellow Springs - BBA 31 8 8 3 3 0 4.76 45.1 57 25 24 4 15 29 1 0 1.59 .368 4.18 0.5 85

2021 Buffalo - BBA 32 26 26 13 5 0 2.56 183.0 157 55 52 8 55 177 2 1 1.16 .307 2.69 5.6 154

2022 Birmingham - BBA 33 8 6 4 2 0 3.18 39.2 32 14 14 3 17 34 0 0 1.24 .276 3.69 0.7 127

2022 Buffalo - BBA 33 21 21 7 5 0 2.94 125.2 119 45 41 13 35 115 0 0 1.23 .313 3.58 2.4 137

2022 Las Vegas - BBA 33 4 4 1 2 0 7.77 24.1 35 21 21 12 5 18 0 0 1.64 .315 8.76 -0.8 52




















Year/Team/League Age G GS W L SV ERA IP HA R ER HR BB K CG SHO WHIP BABIP FIP WAR ERA+

2022 Total - BBA 33 33 31 12 9 0 3.61 189.2 186 80 76 28 57 167 0 0 1.28 .306 4.27 1.9 111

2023 Birmingham - BBA 34 32 32 10 16 0 4.40 202.1 235 107 99 28 62 182 2 0 1.47 .343 3.99 2.7 90

2024 Huntsville - BBA 35 14 3 3 1 0 2.78 35.2 29 11 11 5 6 31 1 0 0.98 .253 3.76 0.5 146

2024 Birmingham - BBA 35 19 19 7 7 0 4.34 112.0 117 62 54 11 39 77 0 0 1.39 .310 4.17 1.3 94

2024 Total - BBA 35 33 22 10 8 0 3.96 147.2 146 73 65 16 45 108 1 0 1.29 .297 4.07 1.8 102

2025 Valencia - BBA 36 32 32 9 15 0 3.07 219.2 205 84 75 19 54 124 5 1 1.18 .268 3.92 2.9 127

2026 Las Vegas - BBA 37 2 1 0 0 0 0.90 10.0 10 3 1 0 1 6 0 0 1.10 .303 2.29 0.4 448

2027 Havana - BBA 38 29 2 2 2 4 3.43 60.1 58 23 23 5 17 39 0 0 1.24 .290 3.77 0.8 119

2028 Madison - BBA 39 23 10 0 2 1 6.27 89.0 103 66 62 20 36 54 0 0 1.56 .282 6.00 -0.6 69

2029 Indy - BBA 40 18 18 2 10 0 6.47 96.0 146 76 69 7 34 38 0 0 1.88 .377 4.38 1.1 65

Total BBA

470 416 184 132 5 3.48 2962.2 2943 1244 1145 264 722 2547 43 7 1.24 .312 3.46 69.0 131

FINAL VOTE TOTALS












The Tombstone Tigers Baseball Association Team was formed in May of 1882, a few

months after the Earps and the Clantons shot themselves up at the OK Corral.

Tombstone was a thriving mining town back then, filled with tough men who worked hard

for their living, and located among several other such mining towns. Superintendent George Rice

wanted to create a community and give his guys things to do, so he started games as early as

1880. Once the team becamse a formalentity they played on public holidays and a few other

occasions, competing against teams from Bisbee, Tucson, and soldiers at Fort Huachuca.

Stories are told of gambling and a certain level of rambunctiousness inherent in the time. A

local Reverend was the team’s Vice President, meaning he gathered the roster for any particular

game. He promised to umpire Sunday games as long as the players all went to church

beforehand.

It was said that during some games the team would put a keg of beer at third base and that

only players who made it that far were allowed to drink.


2032’s Top Hitting Prospects:

# Name Team Age Pos Contact Power Eye/Discipline Speed Defense Level

4 Hsin Mei New Orleans 21 C 8 9 5 1 7 ML

5 Aaron Stone Yellow Springs 21 C 8 8 7 1 4 ML

6 Tu-fu Yong Phoenix 20 SS 8 9 6 10 8 AA

7 Bartolo Ortíz Charm City 18 1B 8 9 6 2 1 AA

8 Mario Deórtez Phoenix 20 LF 8 10 6 2 4 ML 9 Jesús Flores Havana 20 2B 7 7 4 10 - ML

10 Pedro Navarro Montreal 19 CF 7 8 6 9 7 ML

11 Jimmy Starks, Jr. Indy 19 SS 8 7 7 10 4 ML

12 Tai hoi Wie Havana 21 1B 8 9 9 7 7 AAA

14 Emílio Morales Indy 22 2B 8 10 3 2 7 ML

16 Juan Karyabwite Calgary 19 CF 9 6 3 10 8 ML

17 Luis Costello Edmonton 18 CF 9 9 5 10 4 S A

18 Frank Mahaffey Valencia 20 LF 8 10 6 1 6 A

21 Martín Marín Phoenix 18 LF 8 9 5 4 3 S A

31 Jin-song Xuan Carolina 21 SS 8 2 2 11 8 ML

34 Albert Gaona Havana 24 1B 7 9 6 4 6 ML 37 Pedro Costa New Orleans 20 CF 6 8 5 10 5 AAA

39 Gabriel Talamante Louisville 24 2B 6 9 6 4 9 ML

40 Jérôme Delage Phoenix 19 2B 8 8 6 5 6 S A

49 Luis González Halifax 21 SS 9 2 5 11 7 ML

51 Lionnel Crépin Seattle 21 RF 7 9 9 2 7 A

54 Bryan Robson California 21 3B 6 3 6 6 4 ML

55 Mario Guerrer Carolina 20 1B 8 8 6 1 3 ML

56 Walter Finch Seattle 21 CF 7 2 6 11 9 AAA

60 Yi-ke Zang Carolina 21 CF 7 3 3 10 10 ML

64 Jaime Ramírez Louisville 20 SS 8 1 3 10 10 ML

66 Brian Sullivan California 21 SS 5 5 6 10 8 ML

69 Luis Maldonado Madison 18 CF 6 9 6 8 3 S A 71 Calvin Clohessy Brooklyn 22 CF 6 6 5 10 8 ML

74 José Ríos Calgary 17 1B 8 8 4 4 4 R

76 Dan Norman San Antonio 21 3B 5 8 8 3 7 ML

79 Wilton Rivera Valencia 18 LF 8 8 6 3 3 R

81 Harold Smith Brooklyn 23 LF 7 7 4 8 8 ML

84 José Cortéz Havana 18 LF 8 4 7 10 2 AAA

86 Héctor Correa New Orleans 23 LF 5 6 8 10 4 ML

89 Ernesto Alfiche Hawaii 17 SS 6 5 7 10 6 R

91 Benjamin Dale Montreal 20 1B 7 9 7 3 8 AA

93 Henry Rectenberg Brooklyn 19 LF 7 7 7 6 6 ML

96 Garth Hickey Halifax 20 CF 6 7 5 10 6 ML 99 Ricardo Juárez Twin Cities 18 RF 8 8 4 9 4 A

http://montybrewster.net/MBBA/OOTPFiles/lgreports/news/html/players/player_29833.html

http://montybrewster.net/MBBA/OOTPFiles/lgreports/news/html/teams/team_19.html
















































































2032’2 Top Pitching Prospects

# Name Team Age Role Stuff Movement Control Level

1 Bobby Lynch Edmonton 20 SP 12 7 9 AAA

2 Scotty Pendleton Omaha 22 SP 10 7 7 ML

3 Jubal Troop Montreal 21 SP 12 7 8 ML

13 Héctor Amaral New Orleans 23 SP 9 7 8 AAA 15 Pepe Jaramillo Louisville 21 SP 9 8 7 ML

19 Heinrich Peithner Huntsville 21 SP 9 8 7 AAA

20 Miguel Ramos California 20 SP 11 7 7 AA

22 Hyun-sik Chang Las Vegas 23 SP 8 7 7 ML

23 Josh Brown Twin Cities 21 SP 10 7 8 AA

24 Byung-doo Yi Carolina 20 SP 9 8 8 AAA

25 Kevin Morales Louisville 20 SP 9 7 9 ML

26 Jon Reed Las Vegas 24 SP 12 6 4 AAA

27 Sergio Franco New Orleans 22 SP 10 6 7 ML

28 Adam Barnard Atlantic City 20 SP 9 8 7 ML

29 Javier Venegas New Orleans 20 SP 10 6 8 AAA 30 Ken Walter Seattle 18 SP 9 8 6 A

32 Felipe Rosado California 18 SP 11 8 6 A

33 Yoshimatsu Yamaguchi New Orleans 21 SP 8 7 8 ML

35 Fernando Márquez Carolina 19 SP 8 8 7 AAA

36 Masahiro Ogawa Carolina 19 SP 10 7 6 AA

38 Alejandro Alvarado Twin Cities 20 CL 9 8 8 AAA

41 Manuel Solíz Seattle 22 SP 7 7 8 ML

42 Feliciano Rafael Havana 19 SP 9 6 9 AA

43 Pierre Legrand Las Vegas 20 SP 9 7 6 AA

44 Ragnar Lothbrok Des Moines 19 SP 9 7 7 AA

45 Ricardo Maldonado Carolina 24 SP 7 7 8 ML

46 Júlio Barajas Louisville 21 SP 9 7 8 A 47 Armando Rasquilha Carolina 20 SP 8 8 8 ML

48 Júlio Alicea Seattle 21 SP 8 7 8 ML

50 Maxime Manceau Edmonton 21 SP 7 8 7 AA

52 Patrick Patchett Omaha 24 SP 7 7 9 AAA

53 Charlie Iron-Knife Havana 18 SP 10 8 7 R

57 Ángelo Delgado San Antonio 20 SP 9 6 6 AAA

58 Bob Corrigan Phoenix 19 SP 9 7 7 S A

59 Netuno Markert Jacksonville 20 RP 10 7 6 ML

61 Héctor Mata Las Vegas 22 SP 9 7 6 AAA

62 Chris Kelly Twin Cities 19 SP 8 7 7 AA

63 Ken Bates Las Vegas 20 SP 8 7 8 AA 65 Alexandre Renard Phoenix 21 CL 10 8 6 AA

67 Travis Arnold Twin Cities 22 SP 8 7 8 ML

68 Chin Kim Las Vegas 20 RP 11 6 7 A

70 Raúl Gerela California 20 SP 8 7 7 AAA

72 Aki Kondo Havana 18 SP 9 7 8 A

73 Jerry Coyle Twin Cities 21 SP 8 8 8 ML

75 Luis Torres Hawaii 18 SP 9 7 7 S A

77 Miguel Archuleta Carolina 21 SP 9 7 6 AA

78 Bob Coleman Carolina 21 SP 8 7 7 ML

80 Pablo Morales Seattle 24 SP 9 6 7 ML

82 Knud Zeitler California 18 SP 8 8 8 R 83 Jaime Mercado California 22 SP 8 7 7 ML

85 Guus Alberink California 20 SP 7 7 8 AAA

87 Ernie Kinney California 21 SP 8 7 6 ML

88 José Romero Omaha 22 SP 9 8 5 ML

90 Johnny Morin Edmonton 21 SP 7 7 7 AAA














































































































92 Palmer Perry Montreal 21 SP 9 7 6 ML

94 Mario Villarreal Louisville 22 SP 8 7 7 ML

95 Hiroyasu Osaragi Havana 19 SP 9 7 7 ML 97 Stephen Clulow Halifax 19 SP 9 7 7 ML

98 Noonien Soong Havana 26 SP 7 7 9 ML

100 James Robinson Madison 19 SP 9 6 6 ML














Farm System Rankings

# Team Points Top 5 Prospects

1st New Orleans

Crawdads

175 C H. Mei (4th) , P H. Amaral (13th) , P S. Franco (27th) , P J. Venegas (29th)

, P Y. Yamaguchi (33rd)

2nd Phoenix Talons 149 SS T. Yong (6th) , LF M. Deórtez (8th) , LF M. Marín (21st) , 2B J. Delage

(40th) , P B. Corrigan (58th)

3rd Havana Sugar Kings 137 2B J. Flores (9th) , 1B T. Wie (12th) , 1B A. Gaona (34th) , P F. Rafael

(42nd) , P C. Iron-Knife (53rd)

4th Carolina Kraken 137 P B. Yi (24th) , SS J. Xuan (31st) , P F. Márquez (35th) , P M. Ogawa (36th)

, P R. Maldonado (45th)

5th Montreal Blazers 111 P J. Troop (3rd) , CF P. Navarro (10th) , 1B B. Dale (91st) , P P. Perry

(92nd)

6th Edmonton Jackrabbits 105 P B. Lynch (1st) , CF L. Costello (17th) , P M. Manceau (50th) , P J. Morin

(90th)

7th Louisville Sluggers 97 P P. Jaramillo (15th) , P K. Morales (25th) , 2B G. Talamante (39th) , P J.

Barajas (46th) , SS J. Ramírez (64th)

8th California Crusaders 89 P M. Ramos (20th) , P F. Rosado (32nd) , 3B B. Robson (54th) , SS B.

Sullivan (66th) , P R. Gerela (70th)

9th Las Vegas Hustlers 88 P H. Chang (22nd) , P J. Reed (26th) , P P. Legrand (43rd) , P H. Mata (61st)

, P K. Bates (63rd)

10th Seattle Storm 77 P K. Walter (30th) , P M. Solíz (41st) , P J. Alicea (48th) , RF L. Crépin

(51st) , CF W. Finch (56th)

11th Omaha Barnstormers 76 P S. Pendleton (2nd) , P P. Patchett (52nd) , P J. Romero (88th)

12th Indy Grasshoppers 67 SS J. Starks, Jr. (11th) , 2B E. Morales (14th)

13th Twin Cities River

Monsters

67 P J. Brown (23rd) , P A. Alvarado (38th) , P C. Kelly (62nd) , P T. Arnold

(67th) , P J. Coyle (73rd)

14th Yellow Springs Nine 55 C A. Stone (5th)

15th Charm City Jimmies 45 1B B. Ortíz (7th)

16th Calgary Pioneers 34 CF J. Karyabwite (16th) , 1B J. Ríos (74th)

17th Valencia Stars 33 LF F. Mahaffey (18th) , LF W. Rivera (79th)

18th Huntsville Phantoms 27 P H. Peithner (19th)

19th Atlantic City Gamblers

23 P A. Barnard (28th)

20th Halifax Hawks 17 SS L. González (49th) , CF G. Hickey (96th) , P S. Clulow (97th)

21st San Antonio Outlaws 16 P Á. Delgado (57th) , 3B D. Norman (76th)

22nd Brooklyn Robins 15 CF C. Clohessy (71st) , LF H. Smith (81st) , LF H. Rectenberg (93rd)

23rd Des Moines Kernels 14 P R. Lothbrok (44th)

24th Hawaii Tropics 9 P L. Torres (75th) , SS E. Alfiche (89th)

25th Jacksonville

Hurricanes

9 P N. Markert (59th)

26th Madison Wolves 8 CF L. Maldonado (69th) , P J. Robinson (100th)

27th Long Beach Surfers 0

28th Vancouver Mounties 0




















































































































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